Near-perfect shooting propelled (RV) Men's Basketball past the Mount Mercy Mustangs Saturday in Atchison.
The Ravens won 101-65 after shooting 85 percent from the floor in the second half. The Ravens scored 63 points in the second half, alone, nearly matching the Mustangs game total.
It wasn't just one Ravens player that carried the team, either. Jayden Temme led the squad with 26 points, but four other Ravens hit double digits: Jaiden Bristol had 16 points to go along with eight rebounds, Eric Krus had 14 points, Nysir Scott added 13 and Tyson Cathy scored 12.
The deep ball was a major weapon for the Ravens as they knocked down 14-of-17 from deep in the second half and shot 66.7 percent from 3-point range in the game. Their 18 3-pointers made are a new single-game high for the season.
The Ravens also assisted on 21 of their 38 shots, turning down good looks at the basket in favor of great ones. One stretch of action showcased the team play perfectly in the second half. After Cathy scored with his left hand in the pant, Colby Nickels had a rejection that led to a fast break for the Ravens. Nysir Scott found Matt Austin, who passed up the shot to get the ball back to Scott in the corner for a better look at the basket. Scott drilled the 3-pointer to push the Ravens lead close to 20 points.
It got even better from there as the Ravens led by as many as 38 points late in the game.
The Ravens got the best of the Mustangs in the opening half, taking a 38-31 lead into the break. Both teams had scoring spurts as they traded leads seven times in the first half, but the Ravens were able to close the half on a 11-3 run to take the lead at the break.
Three different players had 8 points at half for the Ravens, as Temme, Cathy and Scott led the way. Bristol pulled down seven rebounds from the point guard position in the first 20 minutes, helping the Ravens build an 18-10 advantage on the boards. The Ravens finished with a 32-20 rebounding edge in the game.
The Ravens improve to 14-10 on the year and 12-6 in Heart of America play. They'll return to action at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12 at home against Evangel University.
