CU's Adam Herman (left) scored a game and career-high 35 points in the game against Vanguard on Friday. Herman's lay-up with 12 seconds left in overtime also nearly gave the Cavs the game-winner, but a late Vanguard shot swung the game away from the Cavs.
Cavs Fall Just Short, Lose to Vanguard in Overtime
STATS - Concordia at Vanguard
COSTA MESA, Calif.—The Concordia men’s basketball team lost a squeaker to the Vanguard Lions 99-98 in overtime on Friday.
Concordia (3-2) went up 98-97 late in the overtime period when Adam Herman put in a lay-up with 12 seconds remaining off an assist from Anthony Holton.
However, Vanguard (4-3) went right down the floor following Herman’s shot and got a jumper in the paint from Christopher Kupets that went in with just five seconds left.
A last second heave from CU’s Kevan West didn’t find the net after that and the Lions walked away with the win.
Concordia had led for the entire overtime period until the final minute. The Cavs used a quick 6-2 run in the first 80 seconds of overtime to take an 87-83 advantage. Concordia, then, kept the upper hand as the Cavs answered with a bucket every time the Lions tied the game.
The Lions tied it up for the final time at 94-94 with 1:02 left. True to form, Jourdan Sweeney responded for the Cavs with a lay-up that put his team up 96-94 with 47 seconds left in the game.
Just seven seconds later, though, Vanguard’s Chris Pynch put the Lions up for the first time in overtime with a three-pointer with 40 seconds remaining on the clock.
Herman’s lay-up gave the lead back to the Cavs after that, but then came the heartbreaker from Kupets for the Lions.
Concordia had to make a late bucket to force overtime after Vanguard scored with 55 seconds remaining in the second half to go up 81-79.
CU’s Holton followed with a put-back jumper on the subsequent possession to knot the game at 81-81 with 30 seconds left. Several Cavaliers combined to keep the possession alive for the Cavs after Herman’s initial shot bounced out. CU’s Sweeney collected the first offensive rebound and then followed with a shot of his own. His shot missed too, though, forcing the freshman Holton to step up with an offensive rebound and put-back at a crucial time for the Cavs.
Then, on the final possession of regulation, Vanguard could only get a distant three at the last second that missed and the game went to overtime.
Earlier, neither team could separate themselves in the game as both teams stayed tight throughout the first half.
Concordia took a 36-35 lead into the break and then pushed that up with strong play at the start of the second half, taking the game’s biggest lead at 56-50 with 13:04 remaining.
However, Vanguard answered the Cavs’ strong play with a 15-4 run of their own to take their biggest lead at 65-60 with 9:42 remaining.
Concordia took its turn at coming back, though, and evened the game once again at 68-68 just two minutes later.
Overall, both teams traded advantages statistically as Concordia took home a 41-to-32 rebounding advantage, while Vanguard committed fewer turnovers (21-to-14) in the game. Concordia also continued its hot shooting at the start of the season, going 39-of-65 from the floor for 60 percent shooting. In addition, the Cavs held the Lions to 6-of-23 shooting from beyond the three-point line after the Lions entered shooting over 40 percent on three-pointers.
Individually, Herman led all-scorers with a career-high 35 points to go with 13 rebounds, another game-high. In addition, Herman, already the NAIA leader in field-goal percentage, maintained his ridiculous shooting, going 13-of-15 from the floor. West joined Herman in double-digits with 21 points, while Sweeney and Holton each added another 12 points apiece. The 12 points for Holton marks the first time the freshman has scored in double-digits as a Cavalier, while he also lead the team with seven assists against only two turnovers.
For Vanguard, the newcomer Kupets led the Lions with 21 points, while Christopher Raybon followed with 13. The Lions’ Pynch also scored in double-figures for the team with 11 as Cameron Nettles and William Thompson added 10 each as well. Kupets also led all players with nine assists in the game.
On top of it all, the game represents the first overtime game for the Cavs this season. Last year, Concordia went 1-1 in two overtime games with the win coming 84-81 over California Maritime University on Nov. 26, 2010.
A year from that date, the Cavs will face their biggest test of the season so far when they play Concordia-Irvine Saturday, Nov. 26 at 4 p.m. Concordia-Irvine ended the 2010-11 regular season ranked No. 2 in the final NAIA Coaches’ Poll. The Eagles return only starter off that team, but have gone 4-0 so far this season.