For the second time, this season, (22) Raven Men's Basketball overcame a halftime deficit against Mount Mercy University inside the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium.
Benedictine overcame a 46-41 halftime deficit and held Mount Mercy to 36 second-half points en route to a 96-82 win in the Heart Tournament Semifinals.
The first 20 minutes of play saw swings in favor of both teams. Shots by Saxton Thuston and Jaiden Bristol just shy of seven minutes into the game pushed the Ravens to a 10-point lead over the Mustangs twice. Over the next five minutes, the Mustangs not only erased their deficit, they pulled ahead 27-26 on a 3-pointer from RoyShawn Webb. That lead was short-lived as the Ravens answered with four straight points from Bristol only to see that lead disappear again. Mount Mercy outscored Benedictine 10-3 over the final three minutes of the half to take a five-point lead into the break.
Mount Mercy was able to hold on to the lead for the first three minutes of the second half. Chris Jackson sparked the Ravens comeback with five straight points to push Benedictine back ahead by three points with 12:33 left to play. Benedictine never looked back, pulling ahead by 10 points on two free throws from Bristol, and never led the Mustangs get any closer than five the rest of the way.
Benedictine forced Mount Mercy into 16 turnovers which led to a 24-11 advantage in points off turnovers. Mount Mercy held Benedictine to just 7 3-pointers after the Ravens hit a new season-high in the quarterfinals, but Benedictine made up for their lack of a deep threat with a 62.3 percent effort from the floor and 85.2 percent at the free throw line. They made 18 of 21 free throws in the second half after shooting six total in the first half.
Bristol scored a game-high 31 points – five shy of his career-high – while knocking in 15 of 16 free throws. Matt Austin scored 19 points while Jackson added 15. Eric Krus finished with 11 to round out the Ravens leading scorers.
The Ravens advance to their second Heart Tournament Championship game as they will take on top-seeded and No. 2 William Penn in Oskaloosa, Iowa, on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
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