Despite rallying for 44 points in the second half of Friday night, fourth-seeded and No. 24-ranked Evangel ended the Benedictine men’s basketball teams run through the 2014 HAAC Tournament, 73-58.

Top-seeded and No. 10-ranked Benedictine (22-8) used a 44.8 percent shooting effort and went 5 of 10 from beyond the arc in the second half to outscore Evangel (23-9) 44-39 but couldn’t overcome a season low 14 points at the half to suffer the loss.

Evangel limited Benedictine to just four first-half field goals as they converted 11 to lead 34-14 at the break.

After John Harris Jr. knocked down the first basket of the game, a 3-pointer less than two minutes into the game, Evangel’s Billy Thomas II answered with the first of five first-half 3-pointers for the Crusaders.

After trading baskets and with the score remaining within a possesion, Evangel outscored Benedictine 22-6 over the final 14 minutes of the first half to break the game open.

By the midway point of the second half, Evangel pushed its lead to 29 points, their largest of the game.

At that point, Benedictine changed up their defense which sparked the offense over the final 10 mintues of the game.

The Ravens outscored the Crusaders 32-18 over those final 10 mintues of the game but could never get over the hump as Evangel managed just enough offense to keep Benedictine at arm’s length.

Zack Kleine, the HAAC Co-Player of the Year, scored a game-high 26 points for the Crusaders as Evangel finished with four players in double figures.

Benedictine’s Charlie Wallrapp led the Ravens with 13 points while Jonathan Anaekwe added 12.

The Ravens bench outscored the Crusaders 20-4, anchored by a career-high 11 points from Austin Eckert. Eckert scored all 11 points in the second half over 12 minutes of action as he helped spark Benedictine’s second-half rally. He converted three of Benedictine’s five second-half 3-pointers as the Ravens converted on 50 percent from beyond the arc in the second half.

The Ravens 22 wins moves this season to fourth on the Ravens single-season wins list. Benedictine will now wait for word on their seeding for the 77th annual Buffalo Funds-NAIA Div. I National Tournament, which will be announced during a internet video stream selection show at 8 p.m. March 12.

Evangel advances to the HAAC Championship game against No. 25 and third-seeded MNU on Monday.

— BC Sports Information —

The Benedictine women’s basketball season drew to a close on Thursday night at the hands of Missouri Valley College in the HAAC Tournament Quarterfinals.

Fifth-seeded Missouri Valley (19-10) took advantage from the charity stripe in a game that saw a combined 61 fouls called to earn a 77-71 win over fourth-seeded Benedictine (20-11).

While the season concludes earlier than expected for the Ravens, the 20 wins marks the eighth time under head coach Chad Folsom that Benedictine has reached 20 wins in a season.

The tone for the game was set early as the two teams combined for more fouls than points over the first six minutes of the game.

When Benedictine’s Alexa Taff knocked in a 3-point to put the Ravens in front 5-2 with 14 minutes and 36 seconds left in the first half, the two teams had already been called for eight combined fouls.

The two teams continued to battle through the fouls, three ties and four lead changes before Benedictine pushed ahead by as much as seven points just over midway through the half.

Missouri Valley closed within two points but couldn’t get any closer as the Ravens sat on a 30-25 lead at halftime.

At the half, Benedictine held a slight advantage from the charity stripe, converting on 10 of 16 to Missouri Valley’s 8 of 13. Both teams were limited to single-digit field goals at the half.

Missouri Valley scored the first seven points of the second half to erase Benedictine’s halftime lead and take a three-point lead just 90 seconds in.

The Ravens answered the first run of the second half by the Vikings with one of their own.

Benedictine outscored Missouri Valley 14-5 over the next eight minutes to pull in front by nine points.

The Ravens remained in the lead until the seven-minute mark when the Vikings broke through the games sixth tie to take a 53-52 lead with six minutes and 41 seconds remaining in the game.

Benedictine remained within a possesion of Missouri Valley until they were forced to foul over the games final minutes which allowed the Vikigns to seal the game from the free throw line.

Missouri Valley connected on 24 of 33 at the free throw line in the second half and converted on 50 percent from the floor to end Benedictine’s tournament run.

Despite only converted one more field goal than the Ravens in the second half as Benedictine connected on 12 of 32 from the floor, the Vikings were able to hold off a last-second run by the Ravens from the charity stripe.

Justice Payne led four Ravens in double figures with 15 points. Jackie Ziesel finished with 11 points while Alex Taff and Chayla Rutledge each scored 10 points.

Missouri Valley was led by the game-high 19-point effort of Gabi Morales.

— BC Sports Information —

The top-seeded Benedictine men’s basketball team advanced to the HAAC Semfinals on Wednesday night with a 15-point win over eighth-seeded Baker University inside the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium.

Benedictine (22-7) fed off the home crowd energy inside the Nolan Gymnasium to lead wire to wire over Baker (11-19) and earn a 66-51 win over the Wildcats.

The Ravens advance to take on fourth-seeded Evangel University at 7 p.m. Friday night back inside the Nolan Gymnasium fo the second time in less than 10 days.

Wednesday night, the Ravens jumped out to a 10-point advantage with a 14-4 run and never looked back.

Baker closed within seven points near the midpoint of the first half but Benedictine turned that seven-point advantage into a 10-point lead, 31-21, by halftime.

The Ravens knocked in 50 percent from the floor over the first 20 minutes of the game while holding the Wildcats to just nine first-half field goals.

Benedictine used back-to-back 3-pointers from Brett Fisher and Jonathan Anaekwe inside the first two mintues of the second half to jump start their offense and pull ahead by 18 points.

The Wildcats pulled within 14 points with 11 minutes and 26 seconds remaining in the game before Charlie Wallrapp connected on three striaght 3-pointers to push the Ravens lead to 23 points – its largest of the night.

From that point, the Ravens settled in and worked through their offensive sets to limit the Wildcats’ scoring chances en route to the 15-point win.

Baker converted 11 second-half field goals but just couldn’t find an answer for the Ravens defensively as Benedictine connected on 57.1 percent from the field in the second half, which included a 6 for 12 effort from beyond the 3-point arc.

Wallrapp finished with a game-high 20 points, going nearly perfect from the floor. He connected on 8 of 9 field goals and hit 4 of 5 3-pointers in just over 27 minutes of action.

Brett Fisher added 11 points, connecting on 3 of 6 3-pointers while Anaekwe and John Harris Jr. added 8 points each.

Rafail Tsourakis anchored the Ravens bench scoring with 6 points while Luke Norville added 5. Benedictine outscore Baker 17-6 off the bench.

EJ Carter led Baker in scoring with 14 points.

Benedictine now turns its attention to Evangel, who needed double overtime on Wednesday to dispose of fifth-seeded Central Methodist University, 125-114, in Springfield.

The No. 10-ranked Ravens took the regualar-season series over No. 24 Evangel, most recently earning a 68-65 win over the Crusaders on March 1 in the Nolan Gymnasium.

No. 2 seed Culver-Stockton College advanced to the semfinals on Wedensday night with a 105-89 wn over seventh-seeded Graceland. Culver-Stockton will host No. 3 seed MNU who beat No. 6 seed Missouri Valley on Wedensday in Olathe, 87-80.

— BC Sports Information —