Men's Basketball returns to the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium for the first time since Nov. 11 as they host the MNU Pioneers in their Heart home opener at 2 p.m. Saturday. Both teams are looking to bounce back after conference road losses on Wednesday night.
The Matchup: Saturday marks the 63rd meeting between Benedictine and MNU since the Ravens joined the Heart of America Athletic Conference for the 1992-93 academic year. MNU holds a 42-21 lead in the series but since Ryan Moody took over as the head coach for Benedictine, the series is tied at 11-11. Benedictine swept the two meetings last year, last beating MNU in Olathe on Jan. 20, 77-68.
Tip-Off: Wednesday's loss to Missouri Valley marked the third straight loss in a conference opener for the Ravens under head coach Ryan Moody. In 11 seasons, the Ravens are 7-4 now in their Heart openers with the fourth loss coming at the start of the 2014-15 season to Peru State. ... The Ravens are shooting 55.4 percent from the field and 45.6 percent from the 3-point line in their six wins. In their four losses, they are shooting 37.8 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from the 3-point line. ... In their 6 wins, the Ravens have won every game by double digits and have an average margin of victory of 16.5. Their largest margin of victory is 19 and has happened twice in an 81-62 season-opening win over Lincoln (Ill.) and 82-63 win over Hastings on Nov. 5. ... In their six wins the Pioneers are averaging 10.7 turnovers per game, but in their five losses they have averaged 16.8 turnovers per game. MNU is averaging 17.4 points per game off turnovers while their opponents have averaged 13 points per game off turnovers. ... Anthony Brown of the Pioneers is currently 4th in the Heart shooting 64.3 percent from the field and is tied for 6th in scoring averaging 18.5. Brown also crossed the 1,000 career points mark in their 103-75 win over East-West. ... Saxton Thuston has made the most of his time on the floor this season for the Ravens. Heading to play against the Pioneers, he is 5th in the Heart in field goal percentage at 63.9 percent. He is currently averaging 8.6 points in 23.7 minutes per game. ... MNU head coach Rocky Lamar announced his retirement after the 2021-22 season. Sitting at 794 wins, he is currently the NAIA's Active All-time wins leader as he coaches in his 36th season for the Pioneers. His next win will put him in sole possession of 10th place on the NAIA's All-time wins list.
Up Next: Benedictine returns to the road for a Dec. 7 trip to Springfield, Mo., to take on the Evangel University Valor at 7:30 p.m. The Pioneers are off until Dec. 11 when they will host the Valor in Olathe.
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