Big First Half Propels Bears to MCCC Win

Over the weekend, the Bears resumed their game schedule after a month lay-off. They hiked north the take on Midwest Christian College Conference foes Faith Baptist Bible College (Ankeny, Iowa) and Emmaus Bible College (Dubuque, Iowa). Knowing this would be the only regular season games with these two colleges, the Bears had a sense of urgency.

Friday night, the Bears took on host Faith Baptist. In a surprise move, the Eagles threw a 3-2 zone at the Bears. Behind 7-18 shooting from behind the arc, the Bears only trailed by four at the break. In the second half, the Eagles relentless pursuit of the ball seemed to be the deciding factor, as they out-rebounded the Bears 48-32 on the game. The Bears closed the game with a fury, but it was to no avail as the Eagles capitalized on just enough of their 54 free throw attempts to walk away with a 88-81 win.

In a quick turn around on Saturday afternoon, the Bears went toe-to-toe with Emmaus Bible. The game was once again played on the campus of Faith Baptist. The Bears turned up the defensive pressure and held the Eagles to only eight made field goals in the first half. A combination of missed lay-ups by the Bears and a flurry of made buckets by the Eagles quickly erased the Bears 40-24 halftime lead. The Eagles briefly held the lead midway through the half before the Bears regained their composure and held on for a 79-73 victory.

Over the next seven days, the Bears will play five games at home. It begins tonight when the Bears host Ecclesia College (Springdale, Ark.) at 7 pm.