Men's Basketball picked up a key home win Saturday.
The Ravens downed the Baker University Wildcats 70-51, celebrating Senior Day in style.
After taking an 11-point lead in the first half, the Ravens extended their lead in the second half. Jayden Temme and Nysir Scott hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Ravens a 16-point lead with 9:18 to play. The defensive effort made that difference stand as the Ravens coasted to a 19-point win, punctuated by a 3-pointer from Christian Noskey as time expired.
The Ravens also held Jalen Patterson to 9 points, after Patterson scored 26 in the Wildcats win in the teams' first meeting in January.
Another difference between the first meeting and Saturday's Ravens win was 3-point shooting. The Ravens made a season-low three from deep at Baker but knocked down 11-of-25 on Saturday afternoon.
The Ravens had also struggled recently in getting off to slow starts. That wasn't the case Saturday as the Ravens took an early 15-8 lead when Chris Jackson made a slick move into the paint, forcing a Baker timeout.
The Ravens shot 50% from the field in the first half, taking a 34-23 lead into halftime. They knocked down four 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes, surpassing their total of three from deep when they lost to the Wildcats in January. Ball movement was key as the Ravens assisted on 11 of their 15 made baskets in the first half.
The Ravens finished the game shooting 48.3% with 17 assists while holding the Wildcats to 34.5% shooting.
Scott finished with a team-high 13 points and Chris Jackson added 10 points. Saxton Thuston chipped in 8 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, while Eric Krus scored 8 points and notched 3 blocks.
With the win, the Ravens improve to 15-11 on the season, and 9-8 in Heart of America play. They currently sit fourth in the Heart South, in position to qualify for the conference tournament with two regular season games to play.
The Ravens will try to solidify their position when they host the Missouri Valley Vikings Wednesday, Feb. 16.
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