KANSAS CITY, Mo. (SCWarriors.com) – The Warriors battled through a tough shooting night and still put themselves in a good position to pick up a road win in the KCAC, but their efforts fell short late in the second half. Sterling shot just 33% from the field, but still found themselves leading with five minutes to play in regulation. Avila went on a big run to close out the game, giving them a 60-51 win over Sterling. The Warriors trailed by three at the break and were winning the first 15 minutes of the second half. They opened up their biggest lead of 9 points midway through the second half. Avila was not deterred and fought their way back, eventually taking the lead with just under five minutes to play, and eventually built their biggest lead just before time expired.
Mooch Austin led the way for Sterling, just missing a double-double with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Damond Daniels was the only other Warrior in double figures with 10 points. Elias Ngoga continued to make his presence known under the basket gathering 12 rebounds and blocking 5 shots. Jimmy Causey Jr. made the most of his limited minutes, recording 7 rebounds in seven minutes of play.
Sterling falls to 7-2 this season and is now 2-1 in the early KCAC season. They currently sit fifth in the standings as four teams, including Avila, remain undefeated in the KCAC. The men are off until after the Thanksgiving holiday and return to action on December 4th when they head to Salina to take on a 5-3 Kansas Wesleyan team.
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