STEVENS POINT, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) – The heavy-favorite going in, and pick by many to win the national championship, was taken to the brink of elimination as the underdog Marian University men's basketball team saw its buzzer-beater attempt for the win fall just off the mark in an upset-bid against host UW-Stevens Point as the top-ranked Pointers pulled out a 66-64 win in front of more than 2,200 people inside Bennett Court at Quandt Fieldhouse, this evening, March 7.
With the game tied at 59-59 with under 2:30 left, the Pointers (27-1) came out of a timeout and scored six straight points to seize control with under two minutes to go. The Sabres (22-7) called timeout and came out and answered with five straight points as Sam Koslowski buried a jumper followed by a Jeff Harris three-pointer to cut the deficit to one with 1:05 remaining. With 2.5 seconds remaining, UWSP's Tyler Tillema split a pair of free throws to make it a two-point game to set up the final sequence. Having to go the full-length of the floor, Cody Veleke inbounded to Josh Creed, who found Harris in the corner for a clean look, but his three-attempt went long as time expired. "This was a tremendous environment here and these guys rose up to the challenge," Head Coach Mark Boyle said. "You either rise up to the competition or you fall under it and they rose up to it. That says a lot about these young men. "We went up against the No. 1 team in the country and showed incredible heart, tenacity and grit," Boyle added. "I can't be prouder of these guys than I am right now." The Sabres (22-7) led by as many as 11 points in the contest, taking a 19-8 lead early in the first half before entering halftime with a 35-30 advantage against the top-ranked Pointers. "We just wanted to go out there and give our best effort," Harris said. "We knew we were underdogs, but we also knew that we could compete with any team in the nation and we did that against the best team in the country." Veleke finished with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting to lead Marian, while Harris added 13 points and Alex Stecker chipped in 11 points and five assists. UWSP was led by an impressive shooting display from Trevor Hass, who went 9-for-13 from the field, including 7-for-10 from downtown for a game-high 25 points. Tillema, who was named Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year, finished with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists. The Pointers advance to play Central (Iowa) in the second round Saturday, March 8, at 7 p.m. The Sabres got off to a fast start when Stecker drained the first basket of the game, a three-pointer made possible by two Drew Binversie offensive rebounds. Leading 7-6, Marian embarked on a 12-2 run ignited by a Veleke three. In the midst of the run, Josh Creed connected on a circus-lay-in as he was fouled to make it 12-6, followed by a Harris three-pointer and a pair of buckets by Mike Keller and Creed. "We came out with a ton of energy," Veleke said. "I couldn't ask for a better group of guys. We had a ton of fight. We had a game plan set and we came out and executed exactly how we wanted to for most of the game, especially the first half." Trailing 21-15 after a pair of Koslowski free throws with 7:12 remaining in the first half, Hass brought the Pointers back by scoring nine of his team's next 11 points – all from behind the three-point stripe – and gave the Pointers their first lead of the game at 26-24. The Sabres tied it back up and then Veleke and Stecker combined for nine points down the stretch to give the visitors a 35-30 lead at the break. Both teams shot 50 percent from the field, with the Sabres scoring two more field goals, and each side connected on five three's. In the second half, neither team led by more than four points until the six-point run by the Pointers with under three minutes left in the game. Two Harris free throws with 13:11 to go put the Sabres in front 49-48 and that would be their final lead of the contest. UWSP would stretch the lead to four on a couple occasions before the Sabres tied the game again at 56-all on Veleke jumper with 5:26 to go. After Hass hit from downtown again to give the Pointers a three-point edge, Stecker answered back to make it 59-59 at the 3:41 mark. Clayton Heuer, Tillema and Joe Ritchay combined for six straight points to spot the Pointers a lead they thought was safe with just 1:41 left. However, Head Coach Mark Boyle and company – making their second NCAA appearance and first since 2001 – regained their composure and answered back with five straight points thanks to a Koslowski jumper and Harris three-pointer. Leading by one, Tillema went to the free throw line with just 2.5 seconds remaining and missed the first-of-two. He then tried to miss the second on purpose to cause a chaotic last-second chance for the Sabres, but it hit the front of the rim and went in. The final play resulted in an upset-bid that fell just short. "All I was thinking was, 'please go in'," Harris said. "Unfortunately it rolled in and out. We couldn't have asked for a better look on a scramble play like that." This group of Marian seniors put together an 18-win turnaround since a four-win campaign as freshmen. The bar has been set. "We came in and our goal was to put Marian on the map," Veleke said. "I think with the success we've had this season, we made some noise. We played the No. 1 team in the nation pretty tough here and I think we've accomplished that goal." STEVENS POINT, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) – Tickets for the first round games hosted by UW-Stevens Point are on sale now, including Friday night's match-up featuring Marian University against host and the top-ranked Pointers at Bennett Court inside Quandt Fieldhouse.
The NCAA has split the site into two sessions to accommodate fans from all four institutions as Central College (Iowa) and No. 25 St. Olaf will play Friday, March 7, at 5 p.m. followed by the Sabres (22-6) and Pointers (26-1) at 8 p.m. There will be 250 reserved seats located directly across from the Marian bench for self-identified Marian fans. Those interested in purchasing these tickets must call the UW-Stevens Point ticket office at (715) 346-4100 to reserve. Credit cards are accepted. General admission seats will also be available for purchase by calling the UW-Stevens Point ticket office. Tickets are $8 for adults, $4 for students college-aged and under. Quandt Fieldhouse was built in 1971 and holds nearly 2,800 seats. WAUKESHA, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) – Sophomore guard Drew Binversie has been named Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Player of the Week for his efforts in leading the Marian University men's basketball team past Edgewood College in the tournament championship game last Saturday evening, the league announced today, March 3.
Binversie poured in team-highs with 18 points and seven rebounds in leading the Sabres to their first NACC Tournament championship and automatic bid into the NCAA Division III national tournament. The Valders native scored nine points in the second half, including a late free throw to make it a four-point game with just seven seconds remaining, proving to be all the Sabres needed to hold off the seventh-seeded Eagles. Marian returns to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001 and will face top-ranked UW-Stevens Point in the first round Friday, March 7, at 8 p.m. The Sabres (22-6) and Pointers (26-1) will meet inside Quandt Fieldhouse for the first time since 2005. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, March 4, at noon. INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (SabreAthletics.com) - On Monday morning, March 3, the NCAA announced the bracket for the 2014 Division III Men's Basketball Tournament with Marian set to travel to Stevens Point, Wis. and take on top-ranked UW-Stevens Point. The national tournament berth is Marian's first since 2001.
After claiming the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference regular season title with a 17-3 record, Marian used their smothering defense to advance to the tournament championship game. In their quarterfinal matchup with Wis. Lutheran, Marian jumped out to a 52-22 halftime lead before closing out the eighth-seeded Warriors 83-63. Senior Cody Veleke was a perfect 10-for-10 from the floor and finished with 23 points and seven rebounds. Hosting Aurora in the semifinal match required Marian to battle the ghosts that had haunted them this season, dropping both contests to the Spartans. The Sabres built a 17-point lead by halftime, holding the usually hot-shooting Spartans to just 23 points. Marian finished off their second-straight 20-point victory, winning 71-51 and shooting 47 percent from the floor. Aurora failed to sink a 3-point attempt, finishing 0-for-13 on the night. Awaiting Marian in the NACC Tournament Championship game was seventh-seeded Edgewood College. The Eagles had played spoiler, knocking off the No. 2 and 3 seeds in MSOE and Lakeland. In their regular season meetings, Marian went 2-0 against the Eagles, winning 72-60 on Dec. 11 and 67-63 on Jan. 22. Unlike their previous tournament games, both teams were held in check for the most part as Marian went to the locker room at half with a 34-28 lead. Down the stretch, it would be sophomore Drew Binversie that helped Marian clinch their first NCAA Tournament berth in over 10 years. The Valders, Wis. native went 6-for-10 from the floor and finished with 18 points and seven rebounds. For all three conference tournament games, the Sabres were able to rely on their "6th Man" in the raucous student section. With a specific theme each night, "SabreNation" came out in full force and were there to cheer on their classmates and witness history. Marian will travel to Stevens Point, Wis. this week to face the No. 1 Pointers, winners of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Dating back to 1987, Stevens Point is 11-0 all-time against the Sabres. They last met on Jan. 6, 2005. At the time, the Pointers were No. 1 in the country and defeated Marian 82-57. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. inside Quandt Fieldhouse on Bennett Court. Directions to Quandt Fieldhouse are available here: Google Maps. Tickets will be $8 for adults, $4 for students college-aged and under and will go on sale Tuesday, March 4, at noon. To purchase tickets, call (715) 346-4100. WAUKESHA, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) – Sophomore guard Drew Binversie has been named Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Player of the Week for his efforts in leading the Marian University men's basketball team past Edgewood College in the tournament championship game last Saturday evening, the league announced today, March 3.
Binversie poured in team-highs with 18 points and seven rebounds in leading the Sabres to their first NACC Tournament championship and automatic bid into the NCAA Division III national tournament. The Valders native scored nine points in the second half, including a late free throw to make it a four-point game with just seven seconds remaining, proving to be all the Sabres needed to hold off the seventh-seeded Eagles. FOND DU LAC, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) – For the first time since 2001, the Marian University men's basketball team is headed back to the NCAA Division III National Tournament after securing the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference's automatic qualifying bid with a 65-61 victory over visiting and seventh-seeded Edgewood College in the league tournament championship game, this evening, March 1.
In front of a packed crowd at the Sadoff, it came down to the wire. The top-seeded Sabres (22-6) led by just two points with under a minute left. Then, Mike Keller made it 64-60 with 27 seconds remaining following a diving layup off an Alex Stecker assist. Time expired and the Marian faithful rushed the floor in celebration of Marian's first return trip to the big dance in more than a decade. Sophomore guard Drew Binversie led all Marian scorers with 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting, while adding a team-high seven rebounds. Senior Jeff Harris chipped in 12 points, while freshman Josh Creed contributed 10 points off the bench. The Eagles (13-15) came in as the seventh seed, but gave the Sabres fits offensively. Contrary to the back-to-back 20-point victories for Marian in the first two tournament games, this one was tight the whole way. A lot of the credit is due to Edgewood's inside game, led by Justin Williams' 19-point effort off the bench. It was from the perimeter that the Eagles did most of their damage early on, connecting on their first three long balls to take an 11-6 lead out of the gate. Creed came off the bench and made his presence known immediately after scoring five straight points to tie the game at 14-14 with 13:26 left in the first half. Harris then knocked down a three, followed by a Cody Veleke layup and the Sabres suddenly had a five-point advantage. With 52 seconds left in the half, Marian stretched its lead to nine-points – its largest of the game – on an Alex Stecker three-pointer to make it 34-25. But, Dylan Rusch answered back right before halftime to make it 34-28 at the break. Edgewood continued its comeback in the second half as Joe Klocek connected from three-point range, followed by a Williams jumper and Rusch old-fashioned three-point play, which gave the Eagles a 36-35 lead at the 16:23 mark. Creed and Binversie brought the Sabres back in front with a run that stretched the lead to three points and, despite several attempts at cutting the deficit to one or two points, the Sabres never looked back. Marian overcame a difficult shooting night with the win as it went just 42.9 percent (21-for-49) from the field, including 5-for-14 from downtown and 18-for-25 from the free throw line. The difference was on the glass as the Sabres out-rebounded the Eagles, 33-25, including hauling in 11 offensive rebounds. The Sabres proved very opportunistic as well, turning 15 Edgewood miscues into 20 points en route to the narrow victory. Marian won't find out its first round opponent until the bracket is announced on NCAA.com Monday, March 3. |
Championships (11)
(78-79), (79-80), (80-81), (82-83), (83-84), (87-88), (89-90), (90-91), (98-99), (99-00), (13-14) NCAA Tournaments (2) (00-01), (13-14) Categories
All
Archives
April 2018
|