Pride drop home tilt with Valor
DUBUQUE, Iowa – Josh Pritchett scored 30 points, while Cade Coffman and Jace Coffie each added 12 as Evangel beat Clarke 83-72 on Saturday in the Kehl Center.
Evangel (8-2, 2-0 Heart) won its sixth-straight game and snapped the Pride's six-game win streak over the Valor, a stretch that dated back to the 2018-19 season.
Clarke led the game early at seven to six after Biggie Luster knocked down a three-pointer merely two minutes into the contest, but Evangel recaptured the lead at the 16:54 mark and never looked back. The Pride would eventually trail by 10 (34-24) with 4:57 left in the first half before embarking on a 12-6 scoring run highlighted by back-to-back three pointers by Luster to trim it to 40-36 at the half.
However, Evangel's offense came back to life and jumped the Valor out to a 13-point lead (52-39) just four minutes into the second half. The Pride were able to get within seven (61-54) after Jordan Lake connected on a three-pointer with 10 minutes to play before exchanging baskets back-and-forth with the Valor for the next five minutes.
Down seven with 4:47 to play, Lake connected on another three-pointer to pull the Pride within four, but Evangel's Manirique Alvarado responded with a three of his own to push the lead back to seven. Pride were unable to bring the game any closer the remainder of the contest.
Keith Johnson led Clarke with 22 points, while Luster recorded a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Lake finished with nine points and became the 16th player in program history to score 1,000 points in a career.
Up next, the Pride will travel to Canton, Mo., to take on Culver-Stockton College next Saturday, Dec. 11. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:15 p.m.