Men's Basketball Outlasts UNOH for Fifth Straight Win; Third in OT

(Lansing, MI)-- The Cleary Cougar men's basketball saw two second half leads disappear, but were able to make the plays in the extra period to pick up their fifth straight victory, after defeating the UNOH Racers 104-96.

After UNOH opened the game with a layup, the Cougars would control the final 19:23 of the first half.  Zane Kemp would hit a three to open the scoring, and Nick Ellis knocked down a midrange jumper to extend Cleary's early lead.  A Bennie Crenshaw Jr. three pointer followed by a Zane Kemp alley-oop dunk gave Cleary a 12-6 lead.  Nick Ellis would hit a three to extend Cleary's lead to nine points.  Isaiah Bailey and Derrick Miller would get into the action, knocking down a jumper and a three to give the Cougars a fifteen point lead with 5:50 to play in the half.  The lead grew to seventeen when Isaiah Bailey made another jumper, forcing a timeout out of the Racers.  The final 5:04 of the half would see UNOH climb their way back into the game, and a pair of late free throws would get UNOH within ten points heading into the break with the score 39-29.

The Racers would come out strong to start the second half, cutting the Cleary lead to 41-39 in the first four minutes of game action.  Zane Kemp would hit a jumper to stop the bleading, and Isaiah Bailey and Chaz Cobbs Jr. would hit back to back jumpers to get the Cougar lead back to ten points.  Consecutive jumpers from Zane Kemp extended the Cleary lead to fifteen, and with three free throws, Cleary's lead had grown to 61-43.  After UNOH made one free throw, Bennie Crenshaw Jr. hit a three to make the score 64-44 with 11:00 left in the game, the largest lead for either team in the contest.  The next 6:30 would be all Racers, as they pushed the tempo, forced the Cougars into turnovers, and came all the way back to take a 77-74 lead over Cleary with 3:30 to play.  After Tim Kewley scored, Cleary would get a defensive stop, and Chaz Cobbs Jr. hit a three to give the Cougars back the lead.  UNOH would be forced to foul late, and Cleary made their free throws to extend a lead to 84-78 with 0:25 left in the game.  The Racers would score an and-one, force a Cleary turnover, then hit a three, tying the game at 84-84.  Cleary would turn the ball over once more, giving the Racers a chance to win the game.  The contested layup would roll around the rim, but not fall, and the game would go to overtime.

Zane Kemp got the Cougars going in the extra period with a jumper and a made three pointer to make the score 89-84.  After trading baskets, Cleary would get a stop, setting up a Bennie Crenshaw Jr. three pointer to give Cleary an eight point lead with 3:00 to play.  Over the next minute, the Cougars would once again struggle with the Racers' press, and the lead would shrink to 95-93.  A pair of Bennie Crenshaw Jr. free throws, followed by a clutch Nick Ellis three pointer with just over 1:00 to play would give the Cougars a 100-93 lead.  Cleary would handle the pressure down the stretch, and make their free throws, to pick up their program best fifth straight win.  The five game winning streak has also featured three overtime games, all of which were won by Cleary.

Zane Kemp would have a team high 26 points on 10/15 shooting, with 3 rebounds.  Bennie Crenshaw Jr. would have 19 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds, while Isaiah Bailey had 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.  Chaz Cobbs Jr. scored 12 points with 6 assists, while Nick Ellis added 11 points and 9 rebounds.  Tim Kewley was a monster on defense, blocking 5 shots and grabbing 13 rebounds.

The win improves Cleary's record to 11-13 overall, 10-9 in the WHAC.  The Cougars will look to win again on Saturday, February 14, when they travel to Oakland County to play the Rochester Christian Warriors.  The game is scheduled to begin at 3:00 PM.

*Picture Courtesy of Deanna Marie Photography*