Pride's big first half leads to 85-65 win over Culver-Stockton

DUBUQUE, Iowa - Looking to break their first three-game losing streak of the season, the Clarke University men's basketball team did just that with a big 85-65 win over Culver-Stockton College on Friday night at the Kehl Center.

The Pride used a huge 52-30 first half to pull away from the Wildcats as CSC was able to earn a slight advantage in the second half to outscore CU by two but it wasn't enough to climb out of that hole they dug into in the first 20 minutes.

In that first half, Clarke shot 22-for-35 (62.9%) from the field and 6-of-12 (50%) from three point range while only turning the ball over two times in the half. Conversely, the Wildcats shot 38.2 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from three point range with six turnovers as Clarke outrebounded Culver-Stockton 20-13 in the opening 20 minutes.

Jacob Fierst and Anythony Eddy stood out individually in the half as Eddy scored all 16 of his points for the game in the first half going 6-of-8 from the field and 4-of-6 from three-point range. Fierst scored 20 of his game-high 30 points in the first half, going 9-of-13 from the field in the opening frame and 12-of-19 overall in the game while adding 13 rebounds for a double-double.

Joining the double-double party was Chandler Dean as he scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to combine with his fellow junior teammate in the front court for 45 points and 24 rebounds.

For Culver-Stockton, Alonzo Ortiz-Traylor finished with 22 points to lead the Wildcats as the only other player in double figures was Jalen Blaize  who scored 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting.

Clarke will sandwich in a non-conference game to close out their home schedule this Sunday when Iowa Wesleyan visits the Kehl Center for a 3:00 p.m. CT tip.