PRATT, Kan.- In an unfortunate parallel, the men's team currently shares an identical losing streak with their female counterparts, as a 82-68 loss on Saturday extended the aforementioned stretch to five games. 

Malcolm Whitlow was a bright spot for the Beavers, scoring 23 points on 8-22 shooting, including 5-10 from three-point distance. Whitlow has scored at least 21 points in four of his six games this season. The Nebraska native also had five assists, four rebounds and a steal. He was the only Beavers to finish in double-figures.

The Beavers took a 39-34 lead into the halftime break, as Pratt and Independence shot an identical 40% in the first half. However, the Beavers dominated the glass, outrebounding the Pirates 26-12 in the first 20 minutes, including 13-5 on the offensive end of the floor. Pratt led by as much as 12 late in the first-half, though a 7-0 run in the last 90 seconds of the first-half gave the Pirates some momentum heading into the locker room.

The second-half saw the Beavers struggle to find offensive continuity, shooting 28% to Indy's 45%. Pratt was also whistled 32 times over the course of the 40 minutes compared to Independence's 15, as the Pirates shot 48 free throws compared to Pratt's 13, certainly a source of Independence's comeback effort.

The Pirates opened the second-half with a 9-3 run to grab a 43-42 lead five minutes into the second-half, though the Beavers hung around. A Whitlow layup regained the lead on the scoreboard 53-52 at the 11:34 mark, as the game remained competitive over the next six-plus minutes. Still, the Pirates outscored the Beavers 14-4 over the final five minutes to leave Pratt with too large a deficit to manage.

Men's basketball will travel to Allen County Community College on Wednesday for a scheduled 8:00 pm tip-off against the Red Devils.