Men's Basketball moved past a tough Central Baptist (Ark.) College Mustangs team in the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round presented by Ballogy.
The Ravens topped the Mustangs 73-61 in the Garvey Center in Wichita and will play the Saint Francis Cougars at 11 a.m. Saturday, again in Wichita.
The Ravens built a 13-point lead by halftime, then withstood every charge the Mustangs tried to make in the final 20 minutes. The Ravens got up by as many as 17 points in the second half and never let their lead dip below 9 points, refusing to let CBC's pressure cause major damage.
When the Mustangs cut the Ravens lead to 54-45 with 11:50 to play, the Ravens answered immediately with back-to-back baskets by Saxton Thuston. From that point on, the Ravens maintained a double-digit advantage.
The Ravens had a strong first half, offensively, as they took a 43-30 lead into halftime.
The Ravens knocked down 60% from the field and 50% from 3-point range, going 5-of-10 from deep. The Mustangs entered Friday's contest allowing opponents to shoot 30% from beyond the 3-point arc, good for 13th in the NAIA, but the Ravens were able to move the ball and create open looks.
CBC's defense had been a force all season, picking up 10.2 steals per game (No. 4 in the NAIA) and allowing 66.4 points per game (No. 10 in the NAIA). While the Ravens did turn the ball over eight times in the first 20 minutes, they were able to still move the ball well on the offensive end. They had 11 assists on 18 made field goals in the first half, setting up teammates behind the 3-point line and inside the paint. Eric Krus excelled in both locations, knocking down two 3-pointers and getting inside for buckets to lead the Ravens with 12 points at half.
The Ravens also limited the Mustangs ability to get second-chance points, out-rebounding CBC 19-11 in the first half.
Defensively, the Ravens did a good job in limiting Tedrick Wolfe to 4 points in the first half; he entered the game averaging 14.8 per game.
The Ravens didn't shoot as well in the second half, knocking down 42.3% from the field, but limited the Mustangs to 35.3% shooting. The Ravens also held CBC to 6-23 behind the 3-point line and grabbed 11 more rebounds than the Mustangs.
Krus finished with a team-high 18 points and nine rebounds. Jayden Temme added 14 points and Thuston had 10 points. Jaiden Bristol was strong all over the court, scoring 9 points, dishing out 8 assists, grabbing eight rebounds, and picking up two steals. Bristol, Matt Austin, Nysir Scott, and the Ravens didn't let the Mustangs pressure impact them too much.
Next up for the Ravens is a matchup with Wichita A Bracket No. 1 Seed Saint Francis. The Cougars went 24-8, earning the 1-seed, and did not have to play on Friday.
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