Slow Second Half Dooms Avila against York

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After a closely-contest first 20 minutes of action, Avila men's basketball could not cash in consistently on offense in the second half, whereas Brent Clark and the rest of the York Panthers (8-9, 6-5 KCAC) continued to click, allowing the Panthers to pull away for a 77-53 victory over the Eagles (3-13, 2-9 KCAC) on Wednesday night in Mabee Fieldhouse.

Playing at home for the first time in 2023 and playing against York for the first and only time this regular season, the Eagles put together a solid first half against the Panthers. York held a very slight shooting edge, but Avila was solid defensively and connected on a few clutch shots to more than keep pace with York over the first 20 minutes.

The second 20, however, was a different story: Avila made just seven field goals, including only one three-pointer, in the second half, while York, despite also making just one three, shot better than 50% from the floor as a team, which allowed the visitors to pull away for what became a convincing win.

The first half was closely contested, which is why it's surprising that there was only one lead change and no ties in the entire match, and that lead change came early on. Craig Jordan was excellent in his hotly anticipated Avila debut Wednesday and scored the first point of the night on a free throw, and Tyree King quickly followed suit with a straight on three. York though fired back with back to back treys, putting the Panthers in front 6-4, and they never trailed again.

York very steadily stretched those two threes into a 17-0 run over about seven minutes. Two buckets from Tremaine Banks helped stem the tide, but York still pushed that lead out to 23-8 with about eight minutes left in the first half. That's when Avila started to get things in gear. Back to back buckets from Donte' Simpson and Dylan Holloman ignited the Avila offense, and in the final 30 seconds Banks made a layup before Jordan set up King for a deep ball as time expired, helping pull the Eagles all the way back to within 36-31 at the intermission.

York wasted little time regaining control of the game once the second half began. In what would become the theme of the second half, Brent Clark made a couple of free throws in the first few seconds, helping the Panthers build a 12-4 run to begin the second half. Jordan continued to score in multiple ways for the Eagles in his debut – hopping to the hoop, elevating to get boards, and stepping out to hit elbow jumpers – and Brandon Johnson chipped in a couple important buckets, but it mattered little, and York steadily worked its way to a 77-53 road victory.

If it's possible to have a quiet 30-point night, Brent Clark found a way to make that happen. He finished with a game-high 31 despite making only three threes (going 12-of-14 at the line certainly helped) in one of the best offensive performances against the Eagles this season. Dwight Glover had a strong game with 14 points off the bench for a deep, improved Panther lineup.

Avila's coaching staff has been excited about Craig Jordan for months, and he more than lived up to the hype in his Eagle debut, finishing a rebound shy of a double-double with 18 points and nine boards. King scored nine on three made threes, while Simpson added seven points, nine boards, three assists and three steals.

Up next, Avila men's basketball returns to the road to face Southwestern for the first and only time this regular season. Tipoff in Winfield on Saturday, January 14 is scheduled for 4 PM, following the conclusion of the women's game. As always, you can watch all the action on the KCAC Sports Network, and follow Avila Athletics on social media for live updates.