SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University men's basketball hosted the University of Michigan-Dearborn just days after the dethroning of No. 1 ranked Cornerstone University. The Cougars found themselves in a dog fight early and needed double overtime to stay unbeaten on the year.

Both teams played extremely physical basketball as neither squad could pull away late. However, Spring Arbor found its rhythm in the second overtime as Zach Medendorp and Paul Marandet proved to be too much as the Cougars outlasted Michigan-Dearborn 90-79.

THE BASICS

FINAL SCORE: Spring Arbor 90, Michigan-Dearborn 79

LOCATION: SAU Fieldhouse | Spring Arbor, Mich.

RECORDS: Spring Arbor 4-0, Michigan-Dearborn 3-2

HOW IT HAPPENED

• SAU came out red-hot opening the game on an 8-2 run led by Marandet, who scored four quick ones.
• The Wolverines responded with an 11-2 to take the lead 13-10 at the 12:23 mark of the first half.
• The teams traded buckets over the next couple minutes before the visitors got hot from deep. Led by Mafiaion Joyner, the Wolverines hit three triples in a row to take a 30-21 lead.
• The Cougars bounced right back finishing the half on a 12-5 run, capped off by a beautiful drive and finish from Marandet to cut the lead to three, 35-32, at the break.
• Spring Arbor turned up the heat on defense to start the second half turning the Wolverines over on four straight possessions. Great defense mixed with great offensive execution allowed the Cougars to go on a 9-0 run and regain the lead.
• The two teams went back and forth over the course of the next 14 minutes as the lead changed hands several times.
• Down two with 1:30 to play, Marandet hit a huge bucket and the foul to take the lead 69-68. The Wolverines then hit two from the charity stripe to take it right back.
• Trailing by one, the Cougars got a defensive stop and a loose ball foul to send Tommy Hamilton to the line. Prior to Hamilton stepping to the line, Michigan-Dearborn got hit with a technical foul. Marandet split the technical and then Hamilton knocked down both from the charity stripe to put the Cougars up 2.
• U of M Dearborn ran a set play with :24 seconds remaining and Joyner was on the receiving end of a back door cut to tie the game 72-72. 
• In the extra session, both teams traded a couple buckets and trips to the line and the Cougars once again came up empty on the final possession, sending this game to a second overtime, 77-77.
• In the second overtime, Medendorp and Marandet found their rhythm as the Cougars pulled away. Medendorp and Marandet scored the first seven points of the period to put Spring Arbor in the lead for good. A couple insurance buckets from Jeff Beckman sealed the win for the Cougars.
• Medendorp led the Cougars in scoring with a career-high 31 points and eight rebounds .
• Marandet had another dominant night from the guard spot, scoring 22 points and going 8-10 from the line.
• The Cougars outscored Michigan-Dearborn 13-2 in the final overtime.

FOR THE WOLVERINES

• Joyner was the best player on the floor all night for the Wolverines, posting a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
• Michigan-Dearborn had two other players in double figures as Jason Penn had 20 and Cody Kegley scored 12 points.
• Both teams scored 40 in the paint and Dearborn had the slight edge in second-chance points, 12-11.

UP NEXT

Spring Arbor goes to Rochester College on Saturday, Nov. 4 to face off with their fourth WHAC opponent of the season. Tip-Off is set for 2 p.m.

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