DODGE CITY, Kan.- Having trailed by as many as 18 points, the Beavers formulated one of the program's more astounding wins in recent memory, defeating the Conquistadors 100-95.
One of the main gears in Pratt's comeback engine was Cam Morris, who tied his career-high in points with 24. Morris also had nine rebounds and three blocks, as Morris has now rejected 16 shots over his last six games. Tommy Thomas got back in the offensive groove with 22 points on 8-19 shooting. Harrison Eghan managed a game-high 14 rebounds and three steals to go with his 19 points. Malcolm Whitlow posted a 10-point, 14-assist statline to mark a new career-high in the latter category.
It was a first-half to forget for Pratt, as the Conquistadors led 47-29 with 4:12 remaining in the opening half. The Beavers weren't offensively inefficient per se, but struggled in other areas. Pratt struggled with the three-pointer (3-12), and Coach Flynn's team saw missed opportunities at the free throw line where the Beavers were 5-15. The Beavers also surrendered 16 turnovers in the first 20 minutes, and were not rebounding with their usually consistency. However, late in the first-half, the Beavers did begin to find a rhythm, as they ate away at the deficit to trail 51-40 at halftime.
A determined Pratt team shot 66% in the second-half (19-29), including 5-11 from three-point range (46%). Turnovers remained persistent, but the Beavers outrebounded Dodge City 23-16 down the stretch. The Beavers also cleaned up their efforts at the free throw line, making 17 of 22 attempts over the final 20 minutes.
The Conquistadors continued to keep the Beavers at bay as the second-half unraveled, as the visitors trailed 67-51 after the first five minutes. But the momentum shifted, and it shifted dramatically. A Harrison Eghan layup, followed by an and-one free throw came before a Julian Eziukwu layup and Whitlow triple to trim the lead to 10. A few minutes later, Thomas' back-to-back three-pointers in consecutive possessions saw the Beavers cut the lead to only two at 72-70. The teams continued to trade baskets until another Thomas three at just under seven minutes gave the Beavers their first lead at 81-80.
Pratt then force-fed its big guys, as the Beavers next five makes came from underneath the rim, including two dunks from Morris. Leading 95-88 with 40 seconds to go, the Conqs were forced to foul the remainder of regulation. The Conqs managed to knock down a late three to soften the score, but the Beavers comeback efforts were too much to overcome.
Next, the Beavers (9-10, 8-10) will head to Liberal to end the regular season against the Seward County Saints.