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68
Spring Arbor (Mich.) SAU 20-13
70
Winner Oklahoma Wesleyan OKWU 26-8
Spring Arbor (Mich.) SAU
20-13
68
Final
70
Oklahoma Wesleyan OKWU
26-8
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Spring Arbor (Mich.) SAU 38 30 68
Oklahoma Wesleyan OKWU 30 40 70

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Cougars' tournament run ends in opening round

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Spring Arbor University men's basketball team saw its season come to an end Wednesday in the first round of the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship. The No.5-seeded Cougars fell to No. 4-seed Oklahoma Wesleyan University 70-68.

It came down to the final seconds but Oklahoma Wesleyan survived a hard-fought battle inside the Sanford Pentagon after a potential game-winning 3-pointer by Payton DeWildt rimmed out.

Spring Arbor made its second straight appearance in the tournament after winning the national championship a year ago. The Cougars finished the season with an overall record of 20-13 – the third straight 20-win campaign.

Two major milestones occurred during the game. DeWildt became the third Cougar this season to reach 1,000 career points while senior Paul Marandet became the program's all-time leader in assists (755), passing SAU Athletic Hall of Fame member Micah Lancaster's record of 751 set from 2002-06.

 
 

THE BASICS

FINAL SCORE: Spring Arbor 68, Oklahoma Wesleyan 70

LOCATION: Sanford Pentagon | Sioux Falls, S.D.

RECORDS: Spring Arbor 20-13, Oklahoma Wesleyan 26-8

 
 

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Spring Arbor owned a 38-30 lead at halftime, and led by as many as 10 in the second half, but Oklahoma Wesleyan slowly cut away at the deficit.
  • The Eagles grabbed their first lead of the second half, 66-65, with 2:13 remaining following a bucket by Brooks Haddock, who finished with a game-high 32 points.
  • Marandet scored on the next possession to put SAU back on top, but Haddock answered with a jumper of his own and Oklahoma Wesleyan would not trail again.
  • With the Eagles ahead by three, 70-67, and less than 10 seconds to play, Marandet was fouled. The senior point guard made the first free throw before missing the second, but the Cougars were able to grab the rebound. As the clock was winding down, DeWildt got off a 3-point attempt but the shot rimmed out as time expired.

 
 

FOR THE COUGARS

  • Marandet had 24 points, eight assists, six rebounds and two steals. The Warsaw, Indiana native finished his outstanding career with 2,158 points, which ranks fourth on the program's all-time scoring list. He also totaled an SAU record 755 career assists.
  • DeWildt added 13 points in the contest, pushing him over 1,000 for his career. The junior from Midland, Michigan scored 437 points during his freshman year at Lawrence Tech before transferring to Spring Arbor, and, over his last two seasons with the Cougars, he has scored 558 points.
  • Jeff Beckman finished with 12 points and eight rebounds while Brandon Durnell and Denver Cade tallied eight points apiece.
  • Spring Arbor shot 44 percent (23-for-52) on the day.

 
 

FOR THE EAGLES

  • Brooks Haddock led Oklahoma Wesleyan with 32 points – one point off of his career-high.
  • After shooting 35 percent in the first half, including an 0-for-10 mark from 3-point range, the Eagles shot 60 percent in the second and went 5-for-8 behind the arc.
 

 
 

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