HILLSBORO, Kan.   The Tabor College Men's Basketball team opened up their home slate of games last night in the 2023 Tabor College Classic against Huston-Tillotson University. The Rams hail from Austin, Texas and made the nine-hour drive to Hillsboro.
 
The Bluejays got out to a hot start, holding a 13-3 lead with 14:53 left in the first half. From this mark, the Rams would go on a run of their own, gaining the lead with 11:10 on the clock. From that point on, both teams would trade buckets until the halftime buzzer, with the Rams leading at the break 38-35. The Bluejays had trouble getting good looks from three-point range, shooting 18.2%. Seven Bluejay turnovers, leading to nine points for the Rams complicated things a bit. The first half was not without bright spots for the Bluejay men however, as they shot a perfect 13-13 from the free throw line and hauled in 16 rebounds.
 
Calep Crane would lead the Bluejays in scoring with 19, with Jack Voth and Thatcher McClure following, with 18 and 15 points respectively.
 
Both squads would trade buckets to start the first half, with Kenyon Holcombe scoring at the 16:02 mark to tie the score at 45 and help swing the momentum for the Bluejays. Both teams continued to trade buckets until the 7:10 mark when Huston-Tillotson's Auston Chatman hit a three to push the Ram's lead to seven, a lead they would only continue to build on. Tabor came within eight points with just over three minutes left in the game, thanks to a bucket and a made free throw by Voth. The Rams would go on to win, 84-73.
 
Tabor College Men's Basketball Head Coach Matt Warren had this to say about the game, "The tougher team won last night. The guys played really hard but we weren't the aggressor. Hats off to Coach Henderson and his team, they really played well last night. We have to have a short memory as we play Missouri Valley in less than 24 hours."
 
The Bluejays will wrap up the Tabor Classic against Missouri Valley College on Saturday, November 11 at 5 pm.
 
Tabor College is a Christ-centered institution located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The Bluejays are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and compete in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC).