WAUKESHA, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) – Junior Cody Veleke (Oakfield, Wis.) highlighted the Northern Athletics Conference post-season awards list as he was named to the All-NAC First Team, the league office announced today, Feb. 26. Drew Binversie (Valders, Wis.) and Alex Stecker (Oostburg, Wis.) each received All-Freshmen team accolades.
Veleke, who earned honorable mention status in 2012, averaged 14 points on 49.5 percent shooting and 5.6 rebounds per game, all team bests. He also led the Sabres with 23 blocks and 29 steals this season. Veleke sits just 106 points shy of 1,000 for his career and already ranks among top-10 in several all-time Marian laurels. Binversie and Stecker provided some much-needed stability from the guard position for the Sabres as freshmen this season. Binversie proved to be a versatile asset with his ability to contribute in many ways. He finished third on the team with 8.7 points and second in rebounds at 4.8 per game. Stecker led the league in free throw percentage at 90.7 and was third in the NAC with 3.8 assists per contest. In conference-only games, he also led the league in three-point percentage (61.1), converting 22 of his 36 attempts. Lakeland's Jake Schwarz was named NAC Player of the Year after leading the league in scoring and rebounding. Concordia Wisconsin's Steve Zielinski earned NAC Defensive Player of the Year honors, while Austin Stueck (MSOE) was Freshman of the Year and Aurora's James Lancaster garnered Coach of the Year honors. Complete list found here. By: Sports Information Director, Luke Pattarozzi
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) – The Marian University men's basketball team ran into an offensive juggernaut as top-seeded Lakeland College came away with the 95-67 victory on its home floor in the 2013 Northern Athletics Conference Tournament first round, inside Woltzen Gymnasium, this afternoon, Feb. 16. The Sabres cut a first-half double-digit deficit to seven points in the second half before a 23-7 run pushed the Lakeland lead out of reach over the final eight-plus minutes. Jake Schwarz led all scorers and four Muskies in double figures with 27 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-5 from downtown. Sam Koslowski and Cody Veleke each finished with 18 points for the Sabres. Lakeland improved to 21-5 overall and advances to the semifinal round to take on fourth-seeded Concordia Wisconsin on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Marian's season comes to a close at 15-11 overall. It's tough to beat a team three times in a season, but the Muskies were on a mission and were clicking on all cylinders offensively. They went 31-for-54 (57.4 percent) from the field, including 10-of-15 from three-point range and 23-of-27 from the free throw line in the win. Marian struggled to find any offensive rhythm and turned the ball over 17 times, including eight times in the first half. The Muskies scored 27 points off Marian miscues, which proved about the difference in the game. Trailing 10-7 early in the first half, the Sabres scored five straight points to take a two-point lead. The run was capped by a Mike Keller three-point play after getting fouled by Justin Ward on a layup attempt. That would be the final lead of the game for Marian as Lakeland embarked on a 9-0 run to regain the lead for good. The Muskies led by as many as 16 in the second half before taking a 46-34 lead into the break. After going a blistering 54.8 percent from the field in the first, Lakeland upped the ante with a 60.9 percent showing in the second half. Marian had no answer and its league-leading throw-point shooting percentage (37.7) abandoned them. The Sabres went just 4-for-20 from downtown and finished the game 22-of-52 (42.3 percent) from the field. Marian returns nearly everyone next season with the exception of senior Jake Coenen, who scored eight points, including two three's, in his final game as a Sabre. By: Sports Information Director, Luke Pattarozzi
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) – The Marian University men's basketball team closed out the regular season with a 78-68 loss to host Lakeland College on the road, this evening, Feb. 12. The Muskies clinched the outright North Division title in the Northern Athletics Conference and secured the top overall seed, while the Sabres had to settle for the eighth seed, despite having the fifth-best league record, according to conference seeding procedures. Marian led by as many as seven points in the first half before Lakeland came back to tie at 29-all at halftime. A four-point play by James Oshkeshequoam with 2:00 left stretched a one possession game into a three-possession game and the Muskies sealed it from there at the charity stripe. Jake Schwarz led all scorers with 26 points, while Justin Ward and Oshkeshequoam each added 16. Marian's Cody Veleke led four in double figures with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Sam Koslowski added 17 points, while Mike Keller chipped in 12 and Drew Binversie 11. Lakeland improved to 20-5 overall, 13-3 in the NAC, while Marian fell to 15-10 (10-6 NAC). At the 5:48 mark in the first half, Koslowski's three-pointer gave the Sabres a 25-18 advantage, their biggest lead of the game. However, an 11-4 run by Lakeland closed out the half, capped by a Schwarz tip-in to make it 29-29. The Sabres fell behind by nine points, 52-43, before making a run of their own. A Binversie layup started the rally. Alex Stecker then knocked down a three-pointer to cut the deficit to three points, 54-51. After Lakeland bumped the advantage back up to five, Veleke cut it back down to three before Binversie tied the game at 56-all with 6:49 remaining. Trailing again by five points with under three minutes left, Veleke cut the Sabre deficit to three with a layup to make it 67-64 Lakeland with 2:28 remaining. On the next Muskie possession, Oshkeshequoam drained a three and was fouled by Brad Koth. The ensuing free throw made it a seven-point advantage and made an upset bid seemingly disappear. Although the Sabres fell short tonight, they will have another crack at the Muskies on a bigger stage during the first round of the NAC Tournament. Game time is slated for 2 p.m. this Saturday, Feb. 16. A Marian fan bus will be provided. See Brenda Stobb in Admin 110 to sign-up. By: Sports Information Director, Luke Pattarozzi
LISLE, Ill. (SabreAthletics.com) – The Marian University men's basketball team nearly battled back from a 16-point first-half deficit, but fell just short to host Benedictine University, 65-62, in Northern Athletics Conference play, snapping a seven-game winning streak, this afternoon, Feb. 9. Brad Koth led the Sabres with 14 points off the bench and Cody Veleke added 13 as they fell just short of making it eight straight wins. The Eagles were led by Michael Woolf's 18 points and eight rebounds as his team built a 16-point first-half lead en route to a wire-to-wire victory at home, their third win in a row. Benedictine improved to 7-17 overall, 5-10 in the NAC with the win. Meanwhile, the Sabres fell for just the second time in the last 13 games to drop to 15-9 (10-5 NAC) with the loss. The Eagles jumped out to a 23-7 lead by the 12:07 mark of the first half, but then went quiet until halftime. The Sabres answered with a 14-1 run to close the half and trail by just three points going into the break. Marian shot just 37.5 percent (9-for-24), including 1-for-7 from beyond the arc in the opening frame. In the second half, the Sabres seemingly lost all momentum they had going into halftime as Benedictine pushed the lead back up to double digits within the first five minutes. A Dale Renshaw free throw made the score 33-23 Eagles with 15:44 left in the game. Marian cut the deficit to three points on several occasions, but couldn't erase the deficit completely. With 1:05 remaining Koth followed up a Mike Keller layup with one of his own to cut the deficit to 63-62. A pair of Woolf free throws followed and the Sabres got one final chance with 14 seconds remaining. Three-point attempts by Koth and Binversie went awry as Marian went just 6-for-19 from beyond the arc. Marian will play its final game of the regular season, taking on Lakeland College on the road this Tuesday, Feb. 12. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. in Sheboygan. By: Sports Information Director, Luke Pattarozzi
MADISON, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) – A 16-point second-half deficit wasn't enough to stop the streak as the Marian University men's basketball team scratched and clawed its way to seven straight wins in an 86-82 overtime victory on the road over host Edgewood College inside the Todd Wehr Edgedome, this evening, Feb. 6. Gritty second-half defense led the charge as Marian shored up that end of the court to hold Edgewood from pulling away. At the offensive end, the Sabres turned it over just four times, including once during the entire second half and overtime. Drew Binversie led the second-half comeback with a game-high 22 points on 8-of-12 from the field, while hauling in nine rebounds. Cody Veleke added 19 points, including a 9-for-10 effort at the free throw line. Alex Stecker chipped in 14 points, while Brad Koth had 10 off the bench. Edgewood's Justin Williams scored 20 points and hauled in a game-high 16 rebounds off the bench. Marian improved to 15-8 overall, 10-4 in the NAC with the win. Meanwhile, Edgewood fell to 6-17 (5-9 NAC) with the loss. A Brad Koth three-pointer gave the Sabres a 17-15 lead midway through the first half, but that would be the last Marian field goal for more than eight minutes. Meanwhile, the Eagles embarked on a 17-1 run to push the lead to as many as 14 in the opening frame. The Eagles held Marian to just 33.3 percent (8-for-24) from the field and led in the rebounding department, 22-12, with eight offensive caroms. "We struggled in the first half," Marian Head Coach Mark Boyle said. "But in the second half, we really shored up our defense. Free throws down the stretch were also huge." The Sabres went 25-for-28 from the free throw line and forced 14 Eagle turnovers in the game, 10 of those coming in the second half and overtime. "Effort and focus was our second half adjustment," Boyle added. "We'd been doing such a good job with offensive rebounds all year and struggled tonight. But we made up for it in taking care of the ball. We only had four turnovers in the game and that allowed us to have more chances, more opportunities." The Sabres made the most of their opportunities. Using a 13-2 run over a four-minute stretch midway through the second half to cut the deficit to four points, 54-50, at the 8:45 mark. Then, with 1:48 remaining and the Eagles leading 69-66, the Sabres got another chance on a Mike Keller offensive rebound and Binversie made the most of it by tying the game with a three-pointer from the corner. After a pair of Edgewood free throws made it 71-69, Koth then tied it, stealing the inbounds following an EC timeout and laying it in with just 36 seconds remaining. Both teams would miss a chance to win it and the game headed to overtime. Leading by one and nearing the 4:00 mark as the shot clock winded down, Stecker made it a 75-72 game with a 17-foot jumper. Veleke and Stecker would go 4-for-4 at the charity stripe down stretch to seal the deal. "We got big play after big play and hit big shots when it was most important," Boyle said. "[Edgewood] had to work for everything they were getting and we weren't giving them much. They have a pretty offensively talented team. This was a good win for us tonight." Marian has now won seven straight games for the first time since it rallied off nine straight during the 2001-02 season. The Sabres have two regular season games remaining, beginning with a challenging NAC road tilt at Benedictine this Saturday, Feb. 9. Tip-off is slated for 4:15 p.m. in Lisle, Ill. By: Sports Information Director, Luke Pattarozzi
FOND DU LAC, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) – Senior Jake Coenen made it a memorable Senior Day after matching a career-high 12 points in the first half as the Marian University men's basketball team cruised to its sixth straight victory with an 81-64 Northern Athletics Conference win over visiting Concordia University Chicago, inside Sadoff Gymnasium, this afternoon, Feb. 2. Cody Veleke led the Marian attack with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Coenen, Sam Koslowski and Alex Stecker also reached double figures with 12, 12 and 11 points, respectively. The Sabres defense made it difficult for the Cougars to make any sort of run after converting 24 points off their 15 turnovers and with a bench that outscored Concordia Chicago, 38-19. Marian improved to 14-8 overall, 9-4 in the NAC with the win, while Concordia Chicago fell to 2-19 (1-11 NAC) with the loss. The Sabres shot 57.7 percent (15-for-26) in the first half, including 6-for-9 from three-point range to jump out to a comfortable 43-30 lead at halftime. Coenen led the Sabres with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including three from long range. Khirey Floyd seemed to be the lone producer on offense in the opening frame, scoring a game-high 15 points as CUC shot just 38.5 percent (10-for-26) from the field. In the second half, Stecker knocked down back-to-back three's and then followed it up with a steal that eventually led to Veleke layup to give the Sabres their largest lead at the time of 51-32. Marian would lead by as much as 20 points after Koslowski drained a triple from the outside to make it 56-36 with 16:10 left in the game. Marian made 11 three's in the contest, its fourth game in a row with double digit made three's. Prior to that, the Sabres had only made as many as nine three's in a game, doing so on five separate occasions. A Cougar run midway through the second half cut the deficit to 10 points at 61-51, but the Sabres quickly mounted an answer by stretching the lead back up to 17 points with a 7-0 run. Coenen was honored prior to the game with his family joining him at mid-court. The Sabres will look to make it seven straight victories as they begin a three-game road swing to end the regular season with Edgewood College this Wed., Feb. 6. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. in Madison. |
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