#14 Friends Holds Off Late Bronco Rally, 80-72
(Hastings, NE) – The men’s basketball team came up just short in their comeback hopes against the #14 Friends Falcons, who are currently atop the KCAC standings, falling 80-72 on Wednesday afternoon.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
44 | 36 | 80 |
|
|
32 | 40 | 72 |
Team Stats
Friends (KS)
| Game Statistics | Friends (KS) | Hastings |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (25-51) | (23-56) |
| Field Goal % | 49.0% | 41.1% |
| Rebounds | 39 | 29 |
| Assists | 18 | 15 |
| Turnovers | 10 | 12 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 15 | 4 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 12 | 11 |
| Pts in the Paint | 0 | 0 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 24 | 26 |
(Hastings, NE) – The men's basketball team came up just short in their comeback hopes against the #14 Friends Falcons, who are currently atop the KCAC standings, falling 80-72 on Wednesday afternoon.
Hastings got on the board first with two from sophomore Micah Hinrichs, but Friends scored the next five to go up 5-2. Junior Ben Boudreau scored the next four Hastings points and sophomore Maverick Binder tied things up at nine with 14:15 left in the first half. Baskets from senior DaRon Hall and Binder put them up four, then Friends scored eight of the next nine points to take a 17-16 lead half way through the period.
Three-pointers by Binder and senior Myles Simon gave Hastings a 22-21 lead with 7:07 left in the half and following a 4-0 Falcon run, Boudreau splashed in a three to tie the game at 25. With Hastings trailing 31-30 with less than four minutes left, Friends gained control by scoring 13 straight points and took a 44-32 lead into the halftime break.
Friends shot 55 percent from the field in the first half and 53 percent from three-point range, while Hastings shot 44 percent overall and 43 percent from three. Binder had three triples in the first half contributing to his team-high 11 points and five rebounds.
Boudreau scored on the first possession of the second half, but Friends was able to maintain their lead, growing it to 14 five minutes in. Simon got inside for a bucket and a deep shot from Binder got Hastings within single-digits at nine with 11:35 to go. The Falcons got back to scoring soon after and took a 59-43 lead with 9:43 left.
Down 18 with under six minutes left, freshman Riley Bombeck, who scored all 14 of his points in the second half, got to the line on consecutive possessions and made all four free throws. After a Falcon free throw, Bombeck scored again, this time at the rim, to make it 68-55 at the 3:58 mark. Following a two from Friends, Hinrichs knocked down a triple, cutting the lead to 12.
Hastings got a stop the next time down and Boudreau found Binder for two to get within 10 at the 2:28 mark. The Broncos continued to foul to extend the game and Friends made both from the stripe. Boudreau's three brought the deficit to nine and after Friends split a pair at the line, Boudreau scored again to make it 73-65 with 1:19 left.
Both teams traded free throws on their next possessions and Hastings briefly got within six at with Bombeck capitalizing at the line after a Falcon technical foul with 51 seconds left. Friends made two more at the line and after a missed three from Boudreau, the Falcons were able to ice the game away from the foul line, winning 80-72.
Overall, Friends shot 49 percent from the field to Hastings' 41 percent. The Falcons also shot 44 percent from three and held the Broncos to 32 percent from behind the arc. Hastings made all 16 free throws, while Friends was 19-28. Friends held a 39-29 advantage on the glass and outscored Hastings 15-4 in points off turnovers.
Binder finished with 18 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Boudreau added 16 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Bombeck came off the bench to score 14 points, including 10 free throws, and added five rebounds. Simon also contributed eight points with a pair of threes, and five rebounds off the bench.
Up next, Hastings will host Dordt on Saturday, Jan. 3 at 3:45pm.
