Warriors Keep Eagles at Bay

STERLING, Kan. – Avila men's basketball (2-6, 1-5 KCAC) made the long trip west to Sterling to take on the Warriors (8-3, 4-2 KCAC) on Saturday afternoon, where the Warriors defended their home floor by defeating the Eagles 83-66.

When Avila joined the KCAC in 2018, Sterling was a perennial bottom feeder in the KCAC men's basketball world. But Randy Stange turned the Warriors into true competitors in the conference last year in his first season as head coach, and appears to have them right back in that mix midway through year two – which the Eagles saw firsthand on Saturday afternoon.

The Warriors held the edge in field goal and three-point shooting as well as assists and rebounds, though the Eagles took better advantage of their takeaways, outscoring Sterling 10-4 off turnovers. The Warriors never trailed, and built a lead as large as 23 points – the margin at halftime.

Avila fought back in the second half, outscoring Sterling by six points over the final 20 minutes. Avila shot better from the field and had more rebounds than Sterling did in the second half, but the Warriors continued to shoot well from beyond the arc down the stretch while the Eagles stayed cold, dooming Avila's chances at a second-half comeback bid. Sterling held Avila at arm's length for much of the game and ultimately prevailed 83-66.

Mooch Austin led all players in scoring with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and the Warriors had four other players score either eight, nine or 10 points. Jordan Majeed led Avila in scoring for the third straight game with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting. George Williams scored 11 points; Matthew Boldt had nine points and six rebounds while Jehoiada Goins had seven and eight.

Up next, Avila men's basketball will turn right back around and head to St. Louis for an exhibition game against NCAA squad Lindenwood University on Tuesday, December 12. Details on how to watch and follow along will be posted on our website when they are available.