The Thunder men's basketball team would have their second back-to-back of the season this week with games on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday, the Thunder would travel to Kansas City, Missouri to take on the Avila University Eagles. The Thunder would lead most of the first half before a late run by the Eagles who would take a 39-32 lead into the half. That Eagle lead would bolster to 11 early in the second half and they would hold a 10-point lead with just over two minutes to play. The Thunder would cut the lead down to two with 13 seconds left with the ball. An offensive rebound and a foul would put the Thunder at the line with a chance to tie the game with three seconds left. Both free throws would be missed and the Eagles would seal the victory with free throws of their own to win the game 68-64.

The Thunder would shoot 39.3% from the field, 44.0% from the three-point line, and 41.7% from the free throw line. The Thunder would also out rebound the Eagles by seven on the night. Juniors, Jaxon Hurla and Landon Gray would pace the Thunder with four made threes each, with Gray connecting on all four of his attempts. Hurla would also have six assists on the night. Junior, Xavier Lucas would chip in with 10 points, while freshman, Tatum Pierce would have nine points, four rebounds, and three steals.

On Wednesday evening, the Thunder would travel to McPherson, Kansas for the third time this season to play the McPherson College Bulldogs. Both teams came out on fire shooting the ball from deep. A close battle to start, but two separate runs would find the Thunder down 59-49 at the half. The Thunder would cut the lead down to six to open the half, but another Bulldog run would balloon the lead to as much as 25 with just over nine minutes left. The Thunder would battle back to cut the lead down to 12 with two minutes left, but would ultimately fall 101-85.

The Thunder would shoot 46.2% from the field, 40.0% from the three-point line, and a much improved, 78.6% from the free throw line. The Thunder would connect on a season-high 14 threes. The Thunder were led by sophomore, Davis Rokey who had 19 points on 7-9 shooting from the field and 5-6 from the free throw line, to go along with five rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Senior, Micah Lovett would connect on four threes to finish with 18 points, while Jaxon Hurla and Landon Gray would hit seven combined shot from behind the arch. With the two defeats, the Thunder move to 1-6 on the season.

The Thunder will be back in action at home on Tuesday, November 19th at 6:00 PM when they face the Doane University Tigers for the second time this season.

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