Ravens Men's Basketball used a strong second half Thursday night to improve to 5-1 on the season.
The (18) Ravens defeated the Avila University Eagles 83-65 at home, turning a 3-point halftime lead into an 18-point win.
After a close first half, the Ravens and Eagles traded blows in the first 9 minutes of the second half. With 10:41 to play, Jaiden Bristol scored to start a 14-5 Ravens run that gave the home team complete control of the game.
Bristol scored 9 points in the game to go along with 11 assists and 10 rebounds – nearly recording a triple-double. Matt Austin led the Ravens with 22 points and pulled down 6 rebounds, and Saxton Thuston had 16 points and 8 rebounds. The Ravens pulled down 37 rebounds compared to 22 for the Eagles, including a 21-6 rebound advantage in the second half.
The Ravens shot the ball extremely well, knocking down 61.7 percent from the field in the game. They held Avila to 39.3 percent from the field.
The Ravens and Eagles battled back-and-forth in the opening 20 minutes, with the Ravens ultimately taking a 39-36 lead into the halftime break.
Thuston made sure the Ravens held a lead at the break, blocking an Eagles shot with 8 seconds left to play, then hustling down the floor to grab an offensive rebound and scoring on a put-back just before the buzzer sounded.
The Ravens shot 50 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from deep in the opening half. Austin scored 12 of his 22 points in the opening half. The Eagles offense was paced by Eric Smith Jr., who did work inside and out on his way to 14 first-half points, and 22 points in the game.
The Ravens will be on the road for the remainder of November. They'll travel to Peru, Neb., for games against Missouri Baptist and Central Baptist on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 19-20.
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