By: Sports Information Director, Luke Pattarozzi
FOND DU LAC, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) – Northern Athletics Conference play got off to a rousing start as host Marian University and Concordia University Wisconsin played to the final buzzer with the visiting Falcons coming out on top, 59-58, inside Sadoff Gymnasium, this evening, Nov. 27. Marian big man Cody Veleke gave the Sabres a great chance to force overtime in the waning seconds as he stole an inbounds pass with Marian down three points with four seconds remaining. He immediately turned and fired a shot from long range before getting fouled by CUW's Brian Jackson. The Oakfield native sunk the first two free throws before CUW called a timeout in an attempt to ice the Veleke on the third and final attempt. It seemed to have worked as the shot missed off the front of the rim and time expired. "Cody made a great effort there to get the steal and get to the line," Head Coach Mark Boyle said. "But the game wasn't lost there. We missed too many opportunities throughout the game that we sould have been able to take advantage of." Neither team held a lead of more than six points, while a half-court buzzer-beater by Brian Donaldson just before halftime gave the Falcons a two-point lead – a desperation play that proved to be a difference-maker. Concordia Wisconsin picked up its first win of the season to move to 1-2 overall, 1-0 in the NAC with the win, while the Sabres fell to 2-3 (0-1 NAC) with the loss. In a loosely-called, hotly-contested first half, the Sabres scored 13 points off nine Falcon turnovers and took a one point lead on Jake Coenen's layup with three seconds left before halftime. It looked to be a momentum builder for the hosts until Donaldson's heave from the right side of midcourt found the cylinder. The Sabres came out in the second half – one that was called a lot tighter – and took a three-point lead from the get-go. But the Falcons answered quickly to regain the lead. It would set a trend that carried through the entire second half as both teams combined for five ties and 10 lead changes. With 9:20 remaining in the game, Sam Koslowski knocked down a rhythm three-pointer to put the Sabres up 48-47. That would be their final lead of the game as Concordia rallied for six straight points in what amounted to a 9-2 run and a 56-50 lead with just 4:35 left in the contest. After missing three-of-four free throws, which could have potentially tied the game at 56-all, the Sabres got a big time shot from Alex Stecker, who knocked down a three-pointer to cut the deficit to two points at 58-56 with 54 seconds remaining. That would set up the final series of events that led to Veleke's heroics and eventual shortfall en route to a narrow Sabre defeat. Veleke finished with 13 points and four steals on 5-of-15 shooting, including 2-of-3 from the free throw line. Koslowski poured in a game-high 19 points on 6-of-14 shooting on 2-of-5 from three and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Stecker chipped in five points, five assists and three steals. CUW was led by Mark Pace and Donaldson, who each scored a team-high 13 points. Jackson added two points and a game-high 15 rebounds. The Sabres will be back in action this Saturday, Dec. 1, to take on Dominican University in the team's first NAC road test. Tip-off is slated for 4:15 p.m. in River Forest, Ill. By: Sports Information Director, Luke Pattarozzi
FOND DU LAC, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) – The Marian University men's basketball team staved off a furious comeback by visiting Ripon College to record the 76-74 non-conference victory in the home opener inside Sadoff Gymasium, this afternoon, Nov. 24. Marian led by as many as 14 points in the game and held a 12-point advantage with just over a minute remaining before Ripon began to close the gap considerably. A solid team effort and execution for the majority of the game benefited the Sabres in earning the narrow victory. "I was very pleased with the way we played defense. Overall, it was a great team performance," Head Coach Mark Boyle said. "The keys to the game were, defensively, taking things away from Ripon from what they wanted to do and the ability to get Cody [Veleke] the ball inside." Cody Veleke led the Sabres with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Alex Stecker added 12 points and six assists, while Mike Keller also finished in double figures with 11. Drew Binversie came off the bench to chip in 13 points on 4-of-4 from the field and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Marian improved to 2-2 overall with the win, while Ripon fell to 1-2 with the defeat. Ripon jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first three minutes, but that was quickly erased as a 13-0 Marian run made 15-8 at the 12:08 mark. The solid play would continue for the duration of the first half as Marian shot 50 percent, going 15-for-30 from the field, while holding the Red Hawks to just 31 percent (9-for-29) shooting. A 23-14 rebounding advantage and 22-8 edge in points in the paint also contributed to an eight-point, 34-26 halftime lead for the Sabres. Ripon's Tyler Ketz was the lone player in double figures at the break with 12, but four Sabres had at least six points in the balanced effort. In the second half, the Marian advantage would grow as Ripon was forced to call a timeout after a Stecker layup made the score 40-31 less than five minutes in. Stecker's ability to penetrate the lane on numerous occasions was a valuable weapon that the Red Hawks showed they were unable to stop. The lead would increase to 14 points at the 6:25 mark when Mike Keller made it 61-47. Marian held a steady double-digit lead for a while after that until about a minute to go when the Red Hawks put heavy pressure on and started hitting shots. Trailing 74-62, Ketz fired a three and missed, but Andy Popp was there to clean up the rebound and put back to cut the deficit to 10. Popp didn't stop there. Another rebound and put back was coupled with a Mark Keller foul and the old-fashioned three-point play suddenly made it a one possession game, 75-72, with nine seconds remaining. The Red Hawks, who got help from missed Sabre free throws, fouled Veleke and the junior was able to make one of two to make the score 76-74. Ketz made a layup with two seconds left and the Sabres ran out the clock on the inbounds to escape with the win. "We were fortunate to do just enough to hang on at the end," Boyle said. "Ripon never gave up. They kept coming at us. We just have to learn to finish the game a little better. "This was a good game to take us into conference play," Boyle added. "It was a good, hard fought effort and things will certainly be amped up a notch come NAC play." Next up for the Sabres will be the Northern Athletics Conference home opener against visiting Concordia University Wisconsin. The Sabres fell in overtime on the road in their last meeting and will be looking to avenge that with a 7 p.m. meeting this Tuesday, Nov. 27. By: Sports Information Director, Luke Pattarozzi
APPLETON, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) – The Marian University men's basketball team was unable to tame the hot-shooting of host Lawrence University as it fell, 83-76, in a non-conference road contest inside Alexander Gymnasium, this evening, Nov. 21. Marian jumped out to a 10-2 lead to start the game, but then Lawrence found its shooting stroke en route to a 56 percent shooting half from the field and 10-point lead at halftime. The Sabres cut it to a single possession game on several occasions, but the Vikings were able to seal it at the line for their first win of the season. "They're a good shooting team," Marian Head Coach Mark Boyle said of Lawrence. "I thought we could have done a better job getting out to them on the perimeter. Mix that with the fact we had some chances at the free throw line and that was the difference in the game." Lawrence evened its record at 1-1 overall with the win, while the Sabres fell to 1-2 with the loss. Things looked to be going in Marian's favor after a 10-2 run forced Lawrence to call its first timeout at the 16:34 mark. But before long, Conor Klusendorf connected on back-to-back three's to put the Vikings up by four, 22-18, with 8:34 left in the first half. Those were Klusendorf's lone three-pointers as he finished 6-of-8 from the field with a team-high 17 points. Despite shooting 55.6 percent in the first half on 15-of-27 from the field, including 4-of-7 from three, Marian still trailed by 10 points, 47-37. The Vikings went 17-for-30 (56.7 percent) and knocked down five three's. After making some key defensive adjustments at halftime, the Sabres closed the gap to four points, 50-46, by the 15:34 mark. However, the Vikings would stretch it right back to double-digits. Freshman Alex Stecker appeared to have a strong hold on the offense as his six assists to just one turnover kept the Sabres in it to the end. He helped fuel a 12-3 run late in the second half with an assist to Mike Keller, who finished the layup and the three-point play to cut the deficit to 72-69 with 3:32 remaining. Juniors Cody Veleke and Sam Koslowski led the Marian offense with 23 and 20 points, respectively. Veleke converted a pair of free throws at the 3:10 mark to cut the Viking lead to just two, 73-71. However, a 10-5 Viking run down the stretch, thanks to solid free throw shooting, sealed the victory for the hosts. The Sabres will have a couple days off before hosting Ripon in the home opener this Saturday, Nov. 24. "We need to play more consistent defensively," Boyle said. "Ripon is probably going to be a little more physical. We need to work on playing full games." The Sabres will look to avenge an 82-71 loss to the Red Hawks at home a year ago. Tip-off for this Saturday's non-conference tilt is slated 3 p.m. inside Sadoff Gymnasium. By: Sports Information Director, Luke Pattarozzi
CHICAGO (SabreAthletics.com) – The Marian University men's basketball team opened the 2012-13 campaign at the Big Four Tournament hosted by Moody Bible and split two contests, defeating IU-Dabney in dominating fashion after falling to Williams Penn in the opener, this Friday-Saturday, Nov. 16-17. The Sabres responded to a 95-64 defeat in the opener with a 95-54 victory in the tournament finale. Elan Solvik was the lone Sabre to reach double figures in both games with 13 and 14-point efforts, respectively. The Sabres conclude the tournament with a record of 1-1. In the first game against unbeaten William Penn, an NAIA affiliated institution, the Sabres shot a respectable 42 percent (23-for-55) from the field, but was outrebounded 48-29. It gave William Penn 16 more shot attempts than its counterpart and resulted in 13 more made baskets. WPU put four players in double figures with Arman leading the way with a game-high 17 points. He also added nine rebounds, three of those offensive. In all, WPU hauled in 16 offensive rebounds in the contest. Solvik scored 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and hit his lone attempt from downtown. Sam Koslowski and Jake Coenen both added seven points in the loss. In the second game, Marian turned the tables with a 41-point victory. The Sabres put four players in double figures, led by Solvik, Cody Veleke and Mark Keller, who recorded 14 points apiece. Mike Keller added 10 points as well. Solvik hauled in a game-high eight rebounds as Marian outrebounded IU-Dabney, 53-28. The Sabres shot 55 percent (34-for-62) from the field, including 53 percent (8-for-15) from long range. Meanwhile, they held IU-Dabney to just 33 percent (20-for-61) from the field and 4-for-20 from three-point range. Marian will now prepare for a busy week ahead as it travels to Lawrence Wednesday, Nov. 21, before hosting Ripon Saturday, Nov. 24, in the home opener. |
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