Ankeny, Iowa – The Polars traveled to Faith Baptist Bible College on Saturday afternoon and came away with a 91–78 victory in an NCCAA matchup.
Crown jumped out to an early lead as Anthony Knight and Parker Behne consistently attacked the rim, while Colby Deluce shot efficiently from the field. Tyler Smith set the tone defensively and on the glass early. Faith Baptist answered with a run of its own, erasing a 12-point deficit and eventually taking a late first-half lead. A jumper by Behne with 20 seconds remaining put the Polars back in front, 43–42, heading into halftime.
Smith tallied four blocks in the opening half alone, continuing his historic pace, while also adding seven rebounds and four assists. Knight led all scorers with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Behne and Deluce followed with 11 and 10 points, respectively, both shooting efficiently.
The teams traded three-pointers to open the second half, setting the tone for a tightly contested stretch. Over the first eight minutes, the lead changed five times with three ties as contributions came from across the Crown lineup. Near the 13-minute mark, Joe Sullivan sparked the Polars with seven straight points to give Crown a lead it would not relinquish.
Crown caught fire from beyond the arc in the second half, knocking down 5-of-12 three-pointers to create separation and secure the 13-point win. Smith added another block, along with seven more rebounds and four assists in the half. Knight scored 11 second-half points, while Behne added 12.
Knight finished with a game-high 27 points, nine rebounds, and five assists on an efficient 12-of-18 shooting performance. Behne totaled 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting and went a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. Deluce added 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting and pulled down nine rebounds. Smith filled the stat sheet with seven points, 14 rebounds, eight assists, and five total blocks.
Crown's efficiency and dominance on the boards proved to be the difference, as the Polars shot nearly 53 percent from the field and won the rebounding battle 50–33.
The Polars will be off for the remainder of the month before returning to action on New Year's Eve, hosting St. Scholastica at 3 p.m.
