Slow Start Costs Warriors Against #11 Builders

Winfield, Kan. – The Warrior men's basketball team got off to a slow start against the 11^th ranked Southwestern College Moundbuilders on Wednesday night and it proved costly against the high-powered offense they were facing. The Warriors took an 89-67 loss, the first conference loss for Sterling in the young season.

It took Sterling ten full minutes to get 10 points on their side of the scoreboard, and by that time the hot shooting builder squad had built up a 16 point lead. Trailing by as many as 23 in the first half, the Warriors fought back as time wound down in the first half and cut the lead back to 16 as time expired in the first half, 45-29. Sterling struggled shooting in the first half, shooting just 26% at the intermission. Southwestern on the other hand, made 15 shots, 9 of them from three point range, shooting almost 47% from the field.

Sterling came out ready to play in the second half, cutting the Builder lead to 12 at the 16 minute mark. When Southwestern answered, they answered in spurts, scoring quickly. The 12 point lead quickly turned to as many as 25 in a matter of minutes. Sterling did what they could to slow the pace of the Moundbuilder offense, but it turned out to be too little too late. Time ran out on the Warriors as they took the 89-67 loss on the road.

Pacing the Warriors was Will Thigpen with 18 points and 5 rebounds. He shot just over 50% from the field and 75% from the free throw line. Jayden Garrison and Mooch Austin were the other two double-digit scorers for Sterling, each scoring 11 and also coming away with 2 steals apiece to lead Sterling. Overall on the night, Sterling shot 23-73 (31.5%) from the field, 8-22 (36.4%) from three, and 13-19 (68.4%) at the free throw line. The Warriors were outrebounded 52-35, but won the turnover battle against a very tough defensive team, 8 turnovers to 4 for the Warriors. Sterling also had 6 steals to Southwestern's 2.

Southwestern remains unbeaten this season as they continue to climb the NAIA national polls at 8-0. Sterling falls to 6-2 this season, 2-1 in KCAC play putting them in a tie for 4^th place early this conference season. Up next for Sterling this Saturday night is Tabor College. The Bluejays come to play in the Gleason Center and bring with them a 4-4 record, 1-2 in the KCAC this season. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 pm.

Be sure to check for news and updates on Sterling Warrior Athletics on Facebook (/SCWarriors), Twitter (@SterlingCSports), and Instagram (sterlingcsports), as well as the hashtag #SwordsUp. Watch the Warriors' live home events on the Sterling College Sports Network.