SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University men's basketball team held off a furious second half comeback attempt to defeat Lourdes University 65-63 in its home opener on Saturday.
The Cougars never trailed as they improved to 2-0 on the season while the Gray Wolves fell to 0-1.
Spring Arbor jumped all over Lourdes early, as junior Xavier Prather scored nine points as part of a 20-2 run to open the contest. The Cougars would maintain a comfortable cushion the remainder of the half – leading by as many as 21. However, the Gray Wolves would bury a triple in the closing seconds to cut the deficit to 18, 43-25, heading into halftime.
The Cougars shot nearly 58 percent from the field through the first 20 minutes and converted nine LU turnovers into 16 points.
In the second half, SAU would take its largest lead of the game, 57-35, at the 13:24 mark following a lay-up from Prather off a Lourdes turnover, but the momentum would begin to shift. The Cougars would begin to get careless with the ball finishing with eight giveaways over the final 12 minutes, allowing the Gray Wolves to claw their way back into the game.
Lourdes continued to narrow the gap, and following a quick 7-0 run, trailed by just two, 60-58, with 4:35 left on the clock. The Cougars would halt the run, though, with a huge block from sophomore Thomas Starks, and Prather would finish at the other end to boost the lead back to four.
Missed free throws down the stretch would allow the Gray Wolves to hang around, however, trimming SAU's lead to just one with six seconds remaining. A free throw from sophomore Caleb Hogans put the Cougars back up by two, and after missing the second, Prather would come up with a huge offensive rebound and dribble out the clock to seal the victory.
Prather led the way with 16 points and nine boards while dishing out three assists. Starks and senior Collin Hewitt followed with 10 and nine points, respectively. Senior Tyler Hughes and freshman Zach Medendorp added seven points apiece.
The Cougars finished the afternoon shooting 48 percent from the field while the Gray Wolves connected on 44 percent of their shots. SAU also held a slight edge on the glass, outrebounding Lourdes 34-30.
Spring Arbor will travel to NCAA Division I Western Michigan University for an exhibition game on Tuesday, Nov. 4 before returning home to host the Trent Allen Memorial Tip-Off Tournament on Friday and Saturday.
- Follow Cougar Nation -
Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Live Stream
