Men's Basketball dropped a heartbreaker at home Saturday, losing 74-71 to the Clarke Pride on a last-second shot.
The Ravens trailed by as many as 20 points in the game but were able to tie it twice in the second half. However, they were never able to move in front of the Pride, ultimately losing on the final shot of the game.
With the score tied 71-71 and 7.9 seconds on the clock, Colby Nickels missed a pair of free throws and the Pride pulled down the rebound. The Ravens didn't let Clarke get in the lane, but Keith Johnson buried a 3-pointer from the wing to give his team the win.
After an ice-cold beginning to the game, the Ravens found themselves down by 20 points in the first half. However, the Ravens finished the first half on a strong note, cutting the Pride's lead to single digits, trailing 43-34.
The Pride held a 53.1 to 30.8 percent shooting advantage from the field over the Ravens at the break, as well as grabbing four more rebounds and turning the ball over two fewer times. What helped the Ravens trim the deficit was their ability to get to the free-throw line – the Ravens converted 15-of-17 attempts in the first half.
The two teams entered the game as the top-two 3-point shooting teams in the Heart of America with Clarke shooting 41.9 percent and the Ravens 41.2 percent. In the first half, though, Clarke shot 27.3 percent from deep while the Ravens were just 18.8 percent. The Pride finished the game shooting 31.6 from deep and the Ravens shot just 22.2 percent.
The Ravens shot better in the second half (37.9 percent) while holding the Pride to 38.5 percent from the field as they chipped away at the Clarke lead. Twice the Ravens tied the game but a go-ahead basket never fell for the Ravens.
Matt Austin led the Ravens with 15 points while Nysir Scott added 11 points and Nickels had 10. Jaiden Bristol pitched in 9 points, 7 assists, five rebounds, and three steals.
The loss snaps a five-game winning streak for the Ravens (6-6, 5-2 Heart of America). They'll try to get back in the win column in their final game of the 2019 calendar year when they play Haskell Indian Nations University at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18 at home.
