In Tuesday night's non-conference showdown, the OKWU Eagles demonstrated just how strong their defense can be, holding Evangel to 45 points and just 29% shooting from the field. The Eagles rolled to a 69-45 victory to move to 5-0 on the season.

Recap:

• Neither team could find the touch from beyond the arc in the first half, with Evangel shooting just 20% from 3 and OKWU shooting only 28.6% from downtown.
• Evangel standout Cade Coffman had 12 first half points to keep Evangel in the game, while Brandon Bird's 11 points in the first half led the way for the Eagles, who led at the intermission, 33-25.
• OKWU's defense tightened even more in the second half, holding Evangel to 26.7% shooting from the field and just 7.1% from 3 in the period.
• The Eagles pulled away after halftime, outscoring the Valor 36-20 to run away with a 69-45 victory.

Now the Numbers:

• Three Eagles (Brandon Bird, Derrick Talton Jr., and Dylan Phillip) scored 11 apiece to lead the Eagles offensively.
• Austin Poling had 3 steals and 3 assists in the game, making an impact despite not having great success shooting the ball.
• On the night, the Eagles made 9 three-pointers and didn't allow many open looks for Evangel, who shot 3 for 24 from beyond the line.
• Through 5 games, the Eagles are allowing just 52.4 points from opponents and are holding them to under 30% from 3-point range.

Up Next:

• The Eagles travel for the first time in the young season, heading to Siloam Springs, Arkansas, for a rematch of a November 2 game with John Brown. The Eagles won the first meeting 77-58.