Concordia Holds on to Defeat Bearcats
SALEM, Ore. -- Concordia University rallied from a 45-39 deficit and held a seven-point lead with 1:29 remaining in the game, before holding on for an 86-83 victory over Willamette University on Monday, December 30 at Cone Field House.
The Cavaliers upped their record to 10-4 on the season. Willamette, meanwhile, fell to 2-7 overall.
With six ties through the first 13 minutes, neither team gained more than a four-point lead in the early stages of the non-conference affair.
Holding a slim 33-31 lead, Willamette got hot over the final five minutes to grab an 11-point lead. With 14 seconds remaining, Alex Brown capped the spree with a jumper and ensuing free throw, but the Bearcats couldn't completely close out the half as the Cavs scored the final five points of the half.
Allowing CU to go into the break down by just six at 45-39,
Marquis Matthews (Spanaway, Wash./Bethel H.S.) scored a layup and an additional free throw after being fouled on the play and
Kory Kirwan (Hillsboro, Ore./Glencoe H.S.) converted a pair of free throws with three seconds on the clock.
In the second half,
Esvan Middleton (Culver City, Calif./Culver City H.S.) cut the deficit to two points on two separate occasions, the second off free throw makes with 12:11 remaining for a 57-55 score.
Moments later, Kirwan gave CU its first lead since midway through the first half as the junior created a 3-point play after a successful layup and free throw with 10:54 left.
The Cavs extended its lead to seven points on three occasions, the final instance with 1:29 to play after another Kirwan free throw make.
The Bearcats managed to pull within a single point as Avery Manu made back-to-back layups to set up a clutch 3-pointer by teammate Hayden Russell. With 10 seconds to play, Russell's make from long range made it an 84-83 contest in favor of the road team. From there,
Willy Ligon (Corona, Calif./Centennial H.S.) closed out the win for the Cavs with free throw makes with four second left for a 3-point advantage as Willamette was unable to set up a final shot in an attempt to send the game into overtime.
After
Tyler Velasquez (Colorado Springs, Colo./Doherty H.S.) led CU with 12 points in the first half, Ligon powered the Cavs with 17 of his 25 points in the final 20 minutes for a game-high 25 points. Velasquez finished with 17 points, four assists and seven steals. Middleton posted a 'double-double' for the Cavs with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Brown led Willamette with 18 points, with Manu chipping in with an additional 16 points.