Men's Basketball Hands Lourdes First Home Loss of the Season

(Sylvania, OH)-- After Lourdes scored the game's first points, Cleary would take the lead and never look back, as they defeated the Lourdes Gray Wolves 94-82 Saturday afternoon in Ohio.

Zane Kemp gave the Cougars a 3-2 lead on their second possession, and after a defensive stop, Nick Ellis hit a three to make it 6-2 in favor of the Cougars.  The lead grew from four to seven later in the half, when Zane Kemp converted an and-one, giving Cleary a 14-7 lead.  Still leading by seven with 6:22 left in the half, Brian Everhart connected from deep to give Cleary their first double-digit lead of the game, and making the score 32-22.  The run would continue, with 5:00 to play in the half, when Zane Kemp and Nick Ellis hit back to back jumpers.  Another Brian Everhart three pointer gave Cleary a 40-24 advantage, and a defensive stop followed by a Nick Ellis layup gave Cleary a 42-24 lead.  The eighteen point advantage was the largest for either team in the game.  Lourdes would chip away at the Cougar lead, cutting the deficit to nine points, and the two teams would head into the half with the score 44-35.

Lourdes came out strong to start the second half, scoring the first five points, and making it a four-point game.  A Nick Ellis three pointer gave Cleary back some temporary cushion, as the Gray Wolves answered with a run to cut into the Cleary lead, and making the score 51-50 with 14:28 to play.  Bennie Crenshaw Jr. and Nick Ellis would hit back to back jumpers to make it a five-point game once again.  After Isaiah Bailey made a layup, Cleary's lead grew back to seven points.  A transition dunk by Zane Kemp made it a nine-point game with under ten minutes to go.  Lourdes chipped away once again, cutting the Cougar lead to three points.  Bennie Crenshaw Jr. would hit a big three with 6:49 to play, giving Cleary a 68-62 lead.  Lourdes once again cut the lead to two poiints, but Brian Everhart made another of his five three pointers to answer, and giving Cleary a 73-68 advantage.  Another Brian Everhart three pointer would extend the lead to nine minutes later.  A layup by Everhart with 2:33 to play gave Cleary a double-digit lead.  The Cougars would make their free throws down the stretch, holding on, and securing a massive WHAC victory over the Gray Wolves.

The loss by Lourdes was their first home loss all season, and gave the Cougars a season sweep of the third-place Gray Wolves.

Brian Everhart had himself a game, scoring a team high 19 points on 6/7 shooting, including 5/6 from behind the arc, to go with 5 rebounds.  Zane Kemp would have a double-double consisting of 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Nick Ellis added 17 points and 7 rebounds.  Bennie Crenshaw Jr. returned to the lineup with 17 points and 3 assists, while Jacob Mueller had 15 points and 5 rebounds.

The win improves Cleary's record to 8-13 overall, 7-9 in the WHAC.  Cleary will return home on Wednesday, February 4, when they host the second-place Indiana Tech Warriors at Gannon Gymnasium.  The game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM.