Hillsboro, Kan. – The Tabor College men's basketball team finished off the week with a two-game split that included a thriller double overtime victory over the Friends University Falcons Thursday night in Hillsboro, Kan. On Saturday the Bluejays bid for three straight KCAC victories came up just short as Tabor fell on the road to rival Sterling College.

Against Friends, the Bluejays let a double-digit second half lead slip away before rallying to win in thrilling double overtime victory over the Friends University Falcons by the score of 87-78.

Trailing 21-17 the Bluejays used a 17-5 run over the final 6:54 of the first half to help build an eight point lead heading into the break at 34-26. Tabor finished the half shooting 42 percent from the field 41 percent from behind the arc knocking down 5-12 attempts from long range.

The Bluejays would pick-up right where they left off in the second half leading by as many as 13- with 7:50 left to play. Friends however would rally back and reclaim its first lead since the first half at 54-53 with four minutes left to play in the game.

From there both teams would continue to trade leads back-and-fourth before senior Dylan Clark-Knaeble's field goal gave the Bluejays a two point lead at 58-56 with 49 seconds remaining. Friends would answer back and tie the score on a pair of free throws to send the game into overtime.

Trailing by one at 65-64 senior Joe Penn would give the Bluejays the lead on a three-point basket from the top of the key with 29 seconds left to play giving Tabor a two point lead at 67-65. The Falcons would not go away as they once again tied the score with seven seconds to play on a driving lay-up to send the game into a second overtime at tied at 67-all.

Junior Ryan Chippeaux helped set the tone with an old-fashion three-point play to begin the second overtime giving the Bluejays the lead for good at 70-67. Tabor would knock down 16 free throws in the overtime session to help build a 12-point advantage and earn its fourth KCAC victory of the season.

Six Bluejays reached double figures led by Clark-Knaeble with 16 points and nine rebounds while Penn added 13 points. Other Bluejays to reach double figures included senior Kyle Wallace and junior Ryan Chippeaux with 12 points apiece.  Juniors Lawson Kingsley and Michael Janzen chipped in with 10 points each. Chippeaux also finished the night with his fourth double-double of the season as he grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds.

The Bluejays finished the game shooting 40 percent from the field and 28 percent from behind the arc while dishing out 16 assists to 13 turnovers on the night. Senior Kyle Wallace led Tabor with six assists to just one turnover for the game. Tabor also had to overcome a rough night from the free-throw line as the Bluejays knocked down 23-41 attempts from the stripe.

Against Sterling, a Bluejays second-half rally came up just short as Tabor fell on the road to the Warriors by the score of 76-66.

Trailing by seven at halftime the Bluejays rallied back and reclaimed a two-point lead on a three-point basket by Janzen with 12:15 left to play. The lead would be Tabor's first since the early moments of the first half.

Tabor's lead would grow to as many as four in the second half but it was not enough to keep the host Warriors at bay. Sterling would rally to reclaim the lead before hanging on for the ten-point victory.

Poor free-throw shooting and rebounding plagued Tabor all night. The Bluejays knocked down just 8-15 attempts good for 53 percent and were outscored 22-8 from the line for the game. Tabor also lost the battle of the boards by ten at 41-31.

Senior Phillip Jimenez led three Bluejays in double figures with 18 points on 7-13 shooting from the field. Jimenez was also one of four Bluejays to register five rebounds on the night. Chippeaux also reached double figures on the night with 13 points and five rebounds, while Wallace chipped in with 11 points.

Tabor finished the game shooting 40 percent from the field and 32 percent from behind the arc while dishing out 14 assists to seven turnovers on the night. Wallace, the KCAC leader in assists, again led Tabor with four assists to just one turnover for the game.

Tabor (4-4 KCAC, 8-11 Overall) will travel to Leavenworth, Kan. to take on the University of St. Mary to close out the first round of conference play Wednesday Jan. 18, with tipoff set for 8 p.m.