Men’s Basketball Ends Regular Season with Victory Over Benedictine on Senior Night

Lamoni, Iowa - The Graceland University Men's Basketball team took on the Benedictine College Ravens. The Yellowjackets defeated the Ravens, 70-58. Graceland ends their regular season with an overall record of 20-8 and 17-7 in the Heart.

Graceland (20-8, 17-7) | Benedictine (9-18, 8-16)
Half 1: Graceland 37 | Benedictine 29
Benedictine would get on the board first and lead 4-0, and a three from Patrick Fisher would break the run. Moments Later, Austin Braun would drain a three, and Akeen Woods would follow with back-to-back layups to lead by three (10-7). The Ravens would, and even the score. A Darrius Davis layup halted the Ravens, and Braun added three (17-12). Carson Busch and Carter Brown drained three and held a three-point lead over the Ravens (23-17). Busch and Fisher would add four from the field for an eight-point lead (27-19). In the last minute of play, Davis (three-pointer) and Braun (layup and free throw) would give the Yellowjackets an eight-point lead heading into halftime with a score of 37-29.

Half 2: Graceland 33 | Benedictine 29
Four points from the Ravens would close their deficit to six points (39-33); a Patrick Fisher layup would halt the drive. Austin Braun drained a deep shot to add an 11-point lead (45-34). Benedictine responded with seven to close their deficit to four points (45-41), and Darrius Davis drained one from the field, followed by Amitai Afenjar. At the 10-minute mark, Davis would add a key layup to push a seven-point jump: Fisher (three-pointer) and Afenjar (layup). Benedictine added six to try to close the gap, but the Yellowjackets would continue to add to their advantage and solidify their victory with a JT Washington three-pointer.

By the numbers:
27-25 – The Yellowjackets had two more field goals than the Ravens
9-7 – Graceland three pointer compared to Benedictine
25-7 – The Yellowjackets had 18 more bench points and the Ravens
37-37 – Graceland and Benedictine had 37 rebounds
7-1 – The Yellowjackets had six more made charity stripes than the Ravens

Graceland Leaders:
Scoring Leader: Patrick Fisher – 14
Rebounding Leader: Akeen Woods / Amitai Afenjar – 6
Assist Leader: Patrick Fisher – 5
Steal Leader: Akeen Woods – 2

Benedictine Leaders:
Scoring Leader: Braden Belt – 15
Rebounding Leader: Braden Belt / – 12
Assist Leader: Ahmad Louis – 4
Steal Leader: Ahmad Louis – 2

Up Next:
The Yellowjackets will be back on the court on Tuesday, February 27 when they host the Culver-Stockton College Wildcats in the Quarterfinals of the Heart Conference Tournament. Tip-off is set for 7:00 pm.

-Yellowjackets-