SEWARD, Neb. – The (9) Raven Men's Basketball team hit the road on Friday and Saturday to open up their countable contests as they took part in the annual Cattle Classic hosted by Concordia (Neb.) University.
The Ravens returned with a split as both games came down to the final seconds. On Saturday, the Ravens got a layup with less than a second remaining to earn a 78-76 win over Hastings College before Concordia held off a second-half comeback with a basket in the final seconds to beat Benedictine, 66-65.
Against Hastings, the Ravens took a 42-35 lead into halftime before the Broncos outscored the Ravens 41-36 in the second half to send the game into the final seconds tied. With less than a second on the clock, Jaiden Bristol converted a basket that gave the Ravens their first win over the season.
Bristol led three Ravens in double figures with 19 points and 9 rebounds. Wills Wallrapp finished with 14 points while Jayden Temme added 12. Benedictine finished the game with a 42-22 advantage in the paint while scoring 20 points off turnovers and 11 off second-chance baskets. As a team, they finished with a 47.6 percent shooting effort from the floor with nine 3-pointers.
Against Concordia, the Ravens found themselves looking up at the Bulldogs at the half as they trailed 37-23. After making just one 3-pointer in the first half, the Ravens used seven second-half 3-pointers and a 38.9 shooting percentage to claw back into the game.
Chris Jackson made two 3-pointers in the final 30 seconds of the game to give the Ravens a one-point lead, 65-64 with 16 seconds left in the game. Concordia answered with four seconds left in the game to retake the lead and the Ravens were not able to get off another shot as the comeback effort fell short.
Colby Nickels led the Ravens in scoring with 20 points while Wallrapp, Bristol and Matt Austin finished with 9 points each. Benedictine won the battle in the paint, holding a 24-16 advantage while they also scored 22 points off the Bulldogs 19 turnovers.
The Ravens return home on Friday and Saturday for the two-game Benedictine Classic. They take on NAIA Div. II No. 4 Morningside (Iowa) College at 7 p.m. Friday before taking on John Brown University at 5 p.m. Saturday. The fourth team in this year's classic is Missouri Valley College.
