The Benedictine (Kan.) College men’s basketball team suffered its first Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) loss of the season on Saturday afternoon as NAIA Div. I No. 21 Evangel University held off a late second-half run to earn the 71-58 win.

Evangel limited Benedictine to just 4 of 15 from beyond the 3-point arc as they converted on 8 of 20.

The Ravens did win the battle in the paint, outscoring the Crusaders 34-20 but Evangel held a 31-21 advantage in bench scoring.

Benedictine guard John Harris, Jr., scored a game-high 17 points in the loss while Evangel was anchored by the 15-point performance of Victor Agbasi. Agbasi’s effort accounted for a large chunk of Evangel’s bench scoring.

Evangel moves to 8-3 overall and 1-1 in the HAAC while Benedictine falls to 7-3 overall and 1-1 in the HAAC.

— BC Sports Information —