INDIANAPOLIS – Behind a game-high 25 points from junior Zach Medendorp, the Spring Arbor University men's basketball team picked up a huge road win on Saturday, defeating Marian University 88-77.
The win was not only the third straight for the Cougars, but helped them move into a third place tie in the Crossroads League standings.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Spring Arbor 88, Marian 77
LOCATION: PE Center | Indianapolis, Ind.
RECORDS: Spring Arbor 16-10 (8-6 CL), Marian 12-14 (3-11 CL)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Marian did not have an answer for Medendorp in the first half as the 6-foot-8 forward dominated with 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting.
- After falling behind 3-0 to start the game, Medendorp and Thomas Starks led Spring Arbor on a 14-0 run. Moments later, a three-pointer from Starks gave the Cougars a 12 point lead, 17-5, with 13:56 to play in the opening half.
- The Knights found their footing though and came charging back to cut the deficit to one, 30-29, at the 7:35 mark. The Cougars answered though with an old-fashioned three-point play from Medendorp to push the lead back to four.
- The two teams continued to trade baskets over the final three minute of the period. Marian grabbed the lead following a jumper from James Crowley with less than a minute to play, but a tip-in from Medendorp in the closing seconds gave the Cougars a 46-45 lead at the break.
- SAU was clinging to a three point lead midway through the second half until a 10-0 run fueled by five points from Drew Zuidema gave the Cougars some breathing room.
- Marian managed to get as close as six, 76-70, with 6:05 remaining, but Spring Arbor would not allow the home team to get any closer as Paul Marandet clinched the game at the free throw line going 4-for-4 from the stripe in the last minute.
FOR THE COUGARS
- In addition to his 25 points, Medendorp added eight rebounds and four blocks. The 6-foot-8 forward is the league leader in blocks with 50, and also ranks 12th in the nation.
- Four other Cougars finished in double-figure scoring, including Zuidema who poured in 17 points off the bench. Zuidema, one of the league's top three-point shooters, connected on 5-of-7 shots from behind the arc. Starks finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds to register his fourth double-double of the season. Caleb Hogans chipped in 13 points while Marandet had 12 points and seven assists.
- Spring Arbor shot 58 percent (18-for-31) in the first half and finished the afternoon shooting 50 percent (29-for-58) from the floor.
- The Cougars also dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Knights 40-22. SAU outscored the home team 30-16 on points in the paint and had nine second chance points compared to Marian's zero.
FOR THE KNIGHTS
- Derek Hawthorne paced Marian with 22 points. Curtis Green had 18 and Wesley Stowers followed with 12.
- After shooting 54 percent (15-for-28) in the first half, the Knights struggled to find their rhythm against the league's top defensive unit, hitting only 31 percent (7-for-22) of their attempts.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH RYAN COTTINGHAM
- "Great road win today. Loved the way we grinded It out. Our defensive effort in the second half was really good. Xavier Prather has emerged as a lockdown defender and has done a great job setting the tone for us."
- "Medendorp, Zuidema, and Starks were really good while Marandet continues to lead us. It was good to see Drew get going again as he was huge for us in the second half."
UP NEXT
Spring Arbor returns home to host Crossroads League leader and No. 4 ranked Bethel College (23-3, 13-1 CL) on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. The Pilots will bring a 12 game winning streak into the contest while the Cougars look to continue their push for a top-four spot in the standings to secure a home game in the upcoming Crossroads League Tournament.
Men's Basketball Contact: Chris Bauman | 517-750-6504 | christopher.bauman@arbor.edu
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