Inside the numbers ...
The game between Pittsburg State and Evangel in the opening round of the Chatters/Comfort Inn Classic Friday night at John Lance Arena featured 71 fouls, 92 free-throws and 10 players fouling out.
In the end, it was Evangel that came away with a 98-94 overtime win over the Gorillas.
The Crusaders (4-2) were helped by 40 points from Jackson Capel.
In addition to the 41-of-58 shooting from the foul line.
“You are not going to beat a team that shoots 58 free throws,” said PSU head coach Gene Iba.
The Gorillas (2-2) had their chances.
With 1 minute 24 seconds left in the game, the Gorillas held 77-72 lead after Chris Wilson hit the back end of a two-shot foul.
The Crusaders were able to come within a basket by outscoring the Gorillas 7-4.
With just 16 seconds left in regulation, Evangel’s Chad Gillaspy stole the inbound pass from Carlos Taylor and laid the ball in, sending the game to overtime.
“We played OK,” Iba said. “You can’t be up by four with 1:24 left at home and lose.”
In the overtime frame, Evangel started on an 8-4 run as Capel knocked down a pair of jump shots.
Pitt State later closed the gap to 90-89 when David McKinnie hit the last of a two-shot foul but the Crusaders went 12-of-14 from the foul line in overtime to seal up the game.
“Our kids kept battling because PSU is a very good team that took us out of doing a lot of things,” said Evangel head coach Steve Jenkins. “We could have folded up the tent but, a couple of guys did not want that to happen.
“I am still kind of shocked.”
But, in the end, it was the free-throws that gave Evangel the win.
“The overtime came down to who shoots the free-throws and they did,” Iba said.
PSU was just 5-of-10 from the charity stripe in overtime.
The Gorillas held an 8-7 lead in the first half but, after relinquishing it, did not get it back until the 16:39 mark of the second half when Spencer Magana drained the first of back-to-back 3-pointers.
Wilson led four Gorillas in double-figures with 23 points. Taylor chipped in 19 and Magana had 16, including going 4-of-9 from 3-point range.
Justin McCoy was the other Gorilla in double-figures with 12 points as he went 6-of-7 from the foul line.
The Gorillas did outrebound Evangel 53-46, including a 21-14 edge in offensive boards.
Rodney Grace led PSU with 11 boards in the loss.
Pitt State returns to action at 7 p.m. today, in the final game of the Classic, against Henderson State, a 79-72 loser to Missouri Southern earlier Friday.
Matthew Clark can be reached at matthew.clark@morningsun.net or at 620-231-2600, Ext. 140
Evangel 98, Pittsburg State men 94 OT
PITTSBURG STATE (94) — Chris Wilson 8-15 5-6 23, Carlos Taylor 6-18 3-4 19, Spencer Magana 5-11 2-3 16, Justin McCoy 3-6 6-7 12, Rodney Grace 2-5 2-4 6, David McKinnie 1-9 4-5 6, Henry Rogers 2-3 0-3 4, Seth Burris 2-3 0-0 4, TJ Stukes 1-3 0-2 2, Ivan Evans 1-7 0-0 2. Totals: 31-80 22-34 94.
EVANGEL (98) — Jackson Capel 11-23 14-20 40, Spud Harbour 7-15 6-7 23, Shane Nicholson 2-9 11-12 15, Chad Gillaspy 4-7 1-3 9, Jordan Chapman 0-1 4-6 4, Josh Kleine 0-0 3-4 3, Mike Storey 0-5 2-2 2, Chad Simon 1-1 0-2 2, Cale Ramsey 0-1 0-2 0. Totals: 25-62 41-58 98.
Halftime — Evangel 36, PSU 35. 3-pt goals — PSU 10-25 (McKinnie 0-1, Wilson 2-3, Taylor 4-10, Evans 0-1, Magana 4-9, McCoy 0-1), EU 7-24 (Harbour 3-9, Capel 4-12, Nicholson 0-3). Rebounds — PSU 53 (Grace 11), EU 46 (Storey 7). Assists — PSU 15 (McKinnie, Wilson 4), EU 12 (Nicholson 5). Turnovers — PSU 23, EU 21. Total fouls — PSU 38, EU 33. Fouled out — Storey, Simon, Capel, Gillaspy, Kleine, Grace, McKinnie, Wilson, Magana, Rogers). Technical fouls — none. A — 622.
PITTSBURG —
