In a game that saw 23 lead changes and 16 ties, the William Jewell men's basketball team pulled out a 92-90 win over Avila in overtime on Monday evening in the Mabee Center. The Cardinals move to 5-8 on the season with the victory. 


HOW IT HAPPENED

• 1st Half: Avila came out strong in the opening half grabbing a 26-21 lead after a three from Byron Cooke with under nine minutes remaining. A 7-0 run by the Cardinals, led by five points from Pharroh Gordon, pushed Jewell back in front by two. The Eagles jumped back in front and held their  lead the rest of the way, holding 39-38 advantage at the break. 
• 2nd Half: The Eagles again came out of the lockerroomstrong, scoring the first five points of the second half, to expand their lead to a game-high of six at 44-38. A three from Gordon knotted things up at 48 but Avila's ShandonBoone responded with a trey at the other end to push the Eagles back in front. Avila maintained their lead for the next  six minutes until back-to-back buckets from Byron Harp and Keith Hayes gave Jewell their first lead since early in the first half. The Cardinals expanded their advantage to as many as six before Avila made things interesting down the stretch. Gordon scored a bucket in the paint to put Jewell on top by three with just over two minutes to play in regulation but Boone nailed his seventh three-point shot of the game to tie things up at 84. Both teams missed shots over the final minute for for the win and forced the overtime period.  
• Overtime: The final five minutes of the game were just as exciting as the first 40 as there were two lead changes and one tie. Tied at 88, Harp hit a big three-point shot and followed it up by connecting on one-of-two free throws to give the Cards a four-point lead with under 10 seconds on the clock. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Cardinals shot better than 47 percent from the floor and 42 percent from behind the three-point line but Avila was equally as efficient, shooting 43 percent. 
• Jewell took advantage of 25 free throw attempts, connecting on 21. 
• Both teams posted seven blocked shots and four players in double-figure scoring. 

LEADERS OF THE FLIGHT

• Scoring: Hayes (25), Harp (25), Gordon (18), Eysan Wiley (14)
• Rebounding: Gordon (13), Wiley (10)
• Assists: Harp (6), Hayes (4), Nick Bradley (4)
• Steals: Hayes (2), Mason Alexander (2)
• Blocked Shots: Wiley (4)

YOU SHOULD NOTE

• Wiley's 14 points and 10 rebounds gives the sophomore his sixth double-double of the season while Gordon, who recently made a return from injury gets his first with 18 and 13 respectively. 
• Wiley's four blocks gives him 34 on the season, matching his season total from all of 2017-18, and moves him within one of breaking into the top 10 all-time at William Jewell. 

UP NEXT
The Cardinals wrap up the first semester of action next Monday as they host Ottawa University at 7 p.m.