Phillip Dowden (Evangel Sports Information) SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Evangel men’s basketball team held off a hot shooting Culver-Stockton team earning a 79-76 victory in league play.
The Crusaders led by as many as 18 but had to fight off the Wildcats who would rally back to pull within a point, 77-76, with just 40 seconds left in the game. Evangel pulled down an offensive rebound with 13 seconds left forcing the Wildcats to foul as Nick Yocum made both free throws to help seal the victory.
Culver-Stockton shot 50 percent from the field and made 11 three-pointers, but Evangel finished 15-of-18 from the free throw line to ice the game.
Yocum finished with a game-high 19 points including five three-pointers to help Evangel. The win was the second straight win and sixth in the last seven games for the Crusaders who have inched within a game of the .500 mark.
Richard Chapman also finished in double figures with 11 points while Jacob Smith and Braden Adams each added nine points. Evangel got 38 points from its bench as all 12 who saw action scored in the game.
Culver-Stockton was led by Alon Hemsani who scored 17 points and pulled down five boards.
Women
The Evangel women’s basketball team held off Culver-Stockton Monday night for a 60-53 win snapping a five-game skid in conference play.
The Crusaders were led by 18 points from Taylor Longley and a second consecutive double-double from Allison Swanson. Swanson finished with 10 points and 10 boards in the win.
Evangel forced 13 turnovers while turning the ball over just seven times. An early start for the Crusaders helped set the tone taking a 32-26 lead at halftime.
The Wildcats would battle back in the second half, but Evangel was able to hold off Culver-Stockton for the first win in five tries.
CSC was led by Lacey Clark who tallied 14 points and eight boards for the Wildcats.
