Game 8
Evangel vs. Avila
Nov. 30, 7:30 p.m.
Mabee Field House
Kansas City, Mo.
Go to the basketball broadcast page
After splitting with two NCAA II opponents in the Pittsburg ( Kans.) State University Pepsi/Morning Sun Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 24-25, the Crusaders will get back to business in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. Evangel will travel to Avila University in Kansas City, Missouri on Thursday, Nov. 30. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. in Mabee Field House.
Evangel is 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. The Crusaders are ranked No. 3 on the NAIA II preseason poll. The first poll of the 2006-07 season will be released on Wednesday, Dec. 6.
The Crusaders’ most recent games were in the Pittsburg ( Kans.) State University Pepsi/Morning Sun Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 24-25.
On Friday, Nov. 24, EU lost to host Pittsburg State, 81-66. Evangel led 39-37 at the half, but poor shooting (.267) in the second half and PSU’s better marksmanship (.571) in the second stanza allowed Pittsburg State to out-score EU 44-27 in the second half for the win. Tim Dial, Shane Nicholson, and Jerod Floyd each scored 12 points for Evangel. Todd Simon grabbed six rebounds.
EU then defeated Missouri Southern, 72-67, on Nov. 25. Todd Simon scored a season-high 18 points to lead EU. Jackson Capel added 14 points and Shane Nicholson totaled 12 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in the win. MSSU’s came back from a 13-point deficit with 17:02 left in the second half and Trevor Logan missed a potential-tying 3-pointer with four seconds remaining in the game. Evangel’s Joel Brown then sealed the win with two free throws with 0.2 seconds left. The hard-fought game saw the lead change eight times and the score was tied nine times.
Avila is 5-2 overall and 1-1 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. The Eagles began their 2006-07 season with three straight wins, but have split their last four contests.
Most recently, Avila lost at home to Ottawa ( Kans.), 85-72. Terrell Johnson came off the bench to lead the Eagles with 18 points and nine rebounds. Tavan Sills scored 16 points, including 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range. Also, Cort’Ney Turner scored 12 points and dished out seven assists.
Evangel will host Benedictine College in a Heart of America Athletic Conference game on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 4 p.m. in Ashcroft Center.
Evangel leads the series 30-15. Over the last 21 games, EU is 19-2 vs. the Eagles and both losses were at home (64-59 on 11-18-04, 68-63 on 12-6-03). Evangel has won the last three meetings, including 80-62 ( Kansas City, Nov. 17) and 68-64 (home, Jan. 19) wins last season.
The Crusaders have won 12 consecutive games against Avila in Kansas City and EU has a 14-7 series advantage there. Prior to Evangel’s 12-win streak, Avila held a 7-2 mark in K.C.
Evangel is directed by head coach Steve Jenkins (Evangel, 1974). Jenkins begins his 25th season in 2006-07 and has a 428-336 record.
Anthony Hall, Sr. (Southeast Missouri, 1987) is Avila’s head coach. Hall is in his third season at Avila and has a 27-41 record.
For the fifth year in a row, all Evangel University men’s basketball games will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio (KGMY, 1400 AM).
All Evangel men’s games are also webcast by Evangel’s 2006-07 Internet broadcast partner, All In Broadcasting, at www.allinbroadcasting.com. The postgame show will provide a complete recap of each game and it is sponsored by the Assemblies of God Credit Union. Evangel’s Internet partner is Best Western - Deerfield Inn.
Ed Beach, Evangel director of broadcasting and marketing for athletics, will handle the play-by-play duties as the “Voice of the Crusaders” for the fifth season in a row.
Beginning after Dec. 2 of this year, a selected men’s and women’s “game of the week” will be available for viewing about a week after the contest. The Evangel games can be viewed at All In Broadcasting, www.allinbroadcasting.com. All games will be archived up to one month after the season’s end. Fans can access a game for 99 cents for 24 hours or for $2.99 can watch the game unlimited times and download it as well.
All games are a simulcast with the radio coverage on ESPN 1400 AM and the video portion is produced by ECTV (Evangel Cable Television), Evangel’s student television station.