Men's Basketball Slams Past Lourdes for Fourteen Point Win
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
36 | 37 | 73 |
|
|
39 | 48 | 87 |
Team Stats
Lourdes
| Game Statistics | Lourdes | Cleary (MI) |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (26-56) | (33-64) |
| Field Goal % | 46.4% | 51.6% |
| Rebounds | 33 | 37 |
| Assists | 14 | 21 |
| Turnovers | 14 | 10 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 13 | 19 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 10 | 14 |
| Pts in the Paint | 34 | 36 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 17 | 18 |
| Bench Pts | 3 | 34 |
(Lansing, MI)-- The Cleary Cougar men's basketball team dug themselves into an early deficit, but overcame it to earn a comfortable 87-73 win over the visiting Lourdes Gray Wolves Wednesday evening in Lansing.
Lourdes would start the game strong, building a double-digit lead with 10:51 to play in the half, and the score 21-10. A Nick Ellis tip-in would get the Cleary juices going, as Trevor Viau kept it going with a layup to get the Cougars back within striking distance. Derrick Miller would make a layup, followed by a Trevor Viau three to get the Cougars within two points in less than three minutes of play. After a Gray Wolf three, Tim Kewley would make back to back baskets, with the second of those baskets being a dunk and a foul, to score five straight points, and tied the game. Derrick Miller would give the Cougars the lead for the first time with 7:22 to play in the half. The Cleary run would continue however, with Trevor Viau making a jumper, followed by a Tim Kewley layup. The lead would grow to six moments later when Derrick Miller connected from behind the arc to give Cleary a six-point lead, their largest of the half. Lourdes would fight back to make it a one point game with 2:40 to play, but the Cougars would score and then held on to a 39-36 lead heading into the half.
After Lourdes made it a one point game to start the second half, Cleary would start what would be the first of two key second half runs, after a Jacob Mueller layup and and-one free throw. Nick Ellis would make a three to make it a seven point game. After trading basket through the halfway mark of the half, Bennie Crenshaw Jr. made a jumper to give the Cougars a ten-point lead. The Gray Wolves would go on a run to make it 64-58 game, but the Cougars would respond once again, and after another Tim Kewley dunk with 6:40 to play, the lead had grown back to double-digits for good. Bennie Crenshaw Jr. would extend the lead to 73-59, followed by another Tim Kewley dunk extended the Cleary lead to sixteen points. A Trevor Viau layup made it an eighteen point game. Tim Kewley would have his fourth dunk of the game with 3:51 left in the game to extend the Cleary lead to 82-63. Lourdes would score on their next possession at the free throw line, but Bennie Crenshaw Jr. made a layup to answer on Cleary's next possession, giving Cleary an 84-64 lead with 3:00 to play. Lourdes would force some late turnovers, but it would be too much to overcome, as the Cougars would go on to win 87-73.
Tim Kewley had himself a game, scoring 16 points on 7/9 shooting, with 8 rebounds, 5 blocks, 3 steals, and 3 assists in just 21 minutes of action to lead the Cougars. Bennie Crenshaw Jr. would have 13 points and 8 assists, while Nick Ellis also had 13 points and 6 rebounds. Jacob Mueller had 12 points and 5 rebounds. Cleary had eight players score at least six points in the game, and 9/10 players that played scored in the game.
The win now gives Cleary a 5-7 record overall, and they are now 4-3 in the WHAC. The Cougars will return to action after a break for the Christmas holiday with a trip to Pittsburgh to play the NCAA D1 Duquesne Dukes. The game will air on ESPN+ and will take place at 2:00 PM on Saturday, December 27.
