by (Lawrence, Kansas) – Led by Nehemiah Boykins 16 point performance, the Haskell Indian Nations University men’s basketball team picked up a 66-57 home win against Avila (MO) University in their first game of the Ernie Stevens, Jr basketball classic.
Both teams had a tough time finding the basket in the first half, but Avila held a 24-17 lead after the first 20 minutes.
The second half is where Haskell took control of the game, outscoring the Eagles 49-33 coming out of halftime.
Avila held an 11-point lead at the 13-minute mark of the second half before Haskell closed the game out on a 35-15 run.
Getting into the double-digit scoring column along Boykings was Ruben Littlehead, Jr who added 11 points off the bench. Guards Bryan Strom had 9 points and Preston Olney had 8 points to round out the top scorers in the game.
Haskell will play game 2 of the Ernie Stevens, Jr classic Friday evening at 7:30 PM vs Mission.
