MARION, Ind. – The Spring Arbor University men's basketball team pushed the defending national champions to the brink in the quarterfinals of the Crossroads League Tournament on Wednesday night, but ultimately fell to No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan University 71-64.
The eighth-seeded Cougars overcame a 13 point second half deficit to take their first lead of the game with five minutes remaining, but the top-seeded Wildcats closed the game on an 11-3 run to survive SAU's upset bid.
Caleb Hogans finished with 16 points and three steals to pace the Cougars while Thomas Starks recorded his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Zach Medendorp also added 12 points with three blocked shots.
Indiana Wesleyan (29-2, 16-2 Crossroads League) used a 10-2 run midway through the first half to take a double digit lead, but Hogans would lead a late charge to close the gap to four just before halftime. The sophomore guard poured in seven points during the 9-3 scoring spurt to make it a 29-25 game, but a pair of IWU free throws pushed the margin back to six before a three-pointer at the buzzer gave the home team a 34-25 advantage at the break.
The Wildcats maintained a comfortable cushion through the opening minutes of the second stanza, and eventually extended the lead to 47-34 –it's largest of the game – with 14:00 minutes to play.
The Cougars came roaring back, though, with a 17-4 run – holding one of the nation's most prolific offenses to just one field goal over a six minute span – to knot the score at 51-51. Jimmy Kodet ignited the run with back-to-back baskets and hit a triple moments later to get SAU within two. Following an IWU bucket, Medendorp dropped four straight points to level the score at the 8:21 mark.
Indiana Wesleyan responded to regain the lead, but each time Spring Arbor would answer right back before a free throw from Starks put the Cougars on top for the first time, 59-58, with 5:23 left on the clock.
The two teams traded the lead a couple more times before a quick 7-0 run put the Wildcats in front for good. Starks would knock down a three-pointer to get back within three, 67-64, with two minutes to play, but that's as close as the Cougars would get.
Spring Arbor shot an impressive 53 percent (29-for-55) from the field while Indiana Wesleyan connected on 42 percent (22-for-52) of its attempts. The Cougars also out-rebounded IWU 34-28 and dominated the paint with a 30-14 scoring advantage. The difference came at the free throw line, however, where the Wildcats went 17-for-24 while SAU went just 2-for-5.
The Cougars ended the 2014-15 season with an overall record of 13-18 with a 4-14 mark in the Crossroads League.
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