SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – Spring Arbor University head men's basketball coach Ryan Cottingham secured his 400th career win on Wednesday as the Cougars defeated Great Lakes Christian College 89-87 inside the McDonald Athletic Center.
 
More than 1,000 Western School District students were on hand to cheer on the Cougars and witness the milestone victory in SAU's first-ever Field Trip Game – an event created for 2nd – 8th graders that would connect Spring Arbor with the Western community and get kids excited about basketball. Halftime games, campus tours (for the 8th graders), prizes and pizza capped off the 11 a.m. basketball game between SAU and GLCC. The hope is that this event would expand and form more connections with other school districts in Jackson County.
 
 
THE BASICS
SCORE: Spring Arbor 89, Great Lakes Christian 87
LOCATION: McDonald Athletic Center | Spring Arbor, Mich.
RECORDS: Spring Arbor 2-2, Great Lakes Christian 0-4
 
 
GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• The first half was tightly contested seeing seven ties and seven lead changes, and no team ever led by more than five points.
• Great Lakes Christian held a three-point advantage, 35-32, with 2:30 remaining in the opening stanza, but a triple from Eli White followed by back-to-back buckets from Kevyn Robertson – four of his career-high 20 points – helped give SAU a 39-37 lead heading into halftime.
• Spring Arbor never trailed in the second half. The Cougars were on top 61-58 at the 8:07 mark before a 16-5 run over a three-minute stretch ballooned the lead to double figures.
• The Lakers refused to go away without a fight, however, and slowly clawed their way back into the game cutting the deficit to five with 20 seconds left on the clock.
• Clutch free throws from Robertson and Nate Flannery helped seal the victory.
• In addition to his career-best 20 points, Robertson pulled down 12 rebounds to register the first double-double of his career.
• Austin Braun followed with 19 points and five assists while Gabe Newhof recorded 16 points and nine rebounds. Travis Grayson and White also finished in double figures with 12 points apiece while Grayson also dished out seven assists.
• Great Lakes Christian was led by Kylan Shipp, who finished with 30 points.

 
 
COACH COTTINGHAM WINS #400

• Cottingham, now in his 24th season leading the Cougars, owns a career coaching record of 400-353 (.531) – all at SAU.
• He is the all-time wins leader in Spring Arbor men's basketball history and currently ranks 20th on the NAIA's Men's Basketball Winningest Active Coaches list.
• His resume includes 15 winning seasons, including 10 20-win seasons and one 30-win season, a campaign that culminated in SAU capturing its first NAIA national championship.
• Cottingham has led SAU to two National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) national titles (2005, 2006) and one NAIA national title (2019).

 
 
UP NEXT
Spring Arbor travels to Lawrence Tech (3-2) on Saturday, Nov. 12. Game time is set for 1 p.m.