NORTH MANCHESTER, Indiana – Earlham College men's basketball survived a late scare from host Manchester University and escaped the Spartans' Stauffer-Wolfe Arena with a 73-66 victory in both teams' 2019-20 season finale on Saturday afternoon.

The win improved Earlham's record to 10-15 on the season, giving the Quakers their first season with a double-digit win total since 2005-06 when Earlham was 13-14 overall under Jeff Justus while competing in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

The 10 wins under first-year Head Coach Joe Scheuers is also the most victories for an Earlham men's basketball coach in his first season at the helm since George Waggoner's 10-15 record in 1974-75. Legendary coach Del Harris (14-8, 1965-66) and Norman Wann (11-7, 1923-24) are the only coaches in Earlham history to post more than 10 wins in their inaugural seasons as head coach.

THE BASICS

Final Score:  Earlham 73, Manchester 66
Location: North Manchester, Indiana – Stauffer-Wolfe Arena
Records: Earlham 10-15, 6-12 HCAC / Manchester 8-17, 6-12 HCAC

HOW IT HAPPENED

Earlham thoroughly controlled the first half and led 31-23 after 20 minutes of play, shooting 41.4 percent (12-of-29) from the floor while holding Manchester to just 24.1 percent.

The second half was a much tighter affair, with the Spartans shooting well over 50 percent and cutting the Quakers' lead to a single possession on multiple occasions.

Manchester eventually overtook Earlham on Abdul Ogunnaike's 3-pointer with 3:10 remaining, giving the Spartans a 61-59 lead.

A pair of Blake Bonin foul shots tied the game at 61-61, and a conventional three-point play by Chainey Zolman extended the Earlham lead to 64-61 with 2:48 showing on the game clock. Bonin added a 3-pointer – his only trey of the night on his way to a team-high 19 points – to widen the Earlham lead, and Zolman, Bonin, and Jamel Barnes Jr. all hit free throws to preserve the win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Bonin tallied 19 points on a 6-of-11 effort from the floor and completed his stat line with six assists, five rebounds, and a steal.

Zolman charted 13 points and hauled down a team-high nine rebounds.

Barnes finished with 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting, while Kenneth Stalling Jr. posted 13 points with seven boards and four steals.

The Quakers outshot the Spartans, recording a .429 field goal percentage to Manchester's .397 from the field. Earlham was 19-for-24 (.792) at the free-throw line to Manchester's 11-for-18 (.611).