Box Score
Lourdes University battled back from an eight-point deficit with under eight minutes to play to force overtime on Thursday morning and then had a chance to tie in the final second, but came up just short in a 62-60 loss to sixth-ranked Indiana Wesleyan in the first round of the NAIA National Championships held at Keeter Gymnasium in Point Lookout, Mo.
 
“This was a tough loss for us,” head coach Andre Smith said after the game.  “You hate to see your seniors go out like that.  Indiana Wesleyan is a great team, one of the top teams in the country.  We executed today, made some big plays, got some big stops when we needed them, and never quit.  We truly played until the final buzzer.”
 
The Gray Wolves trailed by as many as eight points, 49-41, with 7:41 to play before mounting their comeback.  Elvin Butler (Akron, Ohio/East H.S.) hit back-to-back buckets, the latter a three-pointer, to pull Lourdes within three and Dorel Sutherland (Toronto, Ont./Ascension H.S.) split a pair of free throws to make it a two-point game with 5:50 remaining.
 
Indiana Wesleyan answered with a 6-1 run of its own to push the lead back to seven, 55-48 with two minutes to play.  Back came the Gray Wolves one more time.  Alex Davis (Cleveland, Ohio/Nordonia H.S.) hit a triple and following a steal Butler connected with another jumper to make it a two-point game, 55-53, with 1:16 left.  Lourdes got a defensive stop, as Butler registered a steal, and Davis was fouled driving to the lane.  The senior made both free throws with 25 seconds remaining to tie the game.  Lourdes then played solid defense, forcing an off-balanced heave as time expired from the Wildcats that missed the mark, forcing overtime.
 
“It's all about making stops when you're down like that,” Smith added.  “We did just that.  At times our offense got a bit stagnant for four to five minutes at a time, but that happened all season long.  Our defense kept us in the game and came up big when we needed the stops at the end.”
 
Corey Harvey (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson H.S.) started the scoring in overtime, putting the Gray Wolves up two only to have Indiana Wesleyan answer with a pair of free throws.  Lourdes had a one-point lead, 58-57, midway through the extra stanza before back-to-back buckets by Patrick Hopkins put the Wildcats up by three, 61-58 heading into the final minute.
 
Harvey made it a one-point game with an 18-foot jumper and the Gray Wolves got a stop defensively, giving them a chance to take the lead in the final seconds.  The Gray Wolves had four shots down the stretch but could not find the bottom of the basket and had to foul with 3.3 seconds remaining.  Hopkins split the pair of free throws giving Lourdes one final chance.
 
“We got a crack at it three or four times and it just didn't fall for us,” Smith commented.
 
Remy Fleurima (North Lauderdale, Fla./Coconut Creek H.S.) collected the inbounds pass near midcourt and raced to the basket, drawing a foul with 0.1 seconds remaining.  His first free throw attempt rimmed out though, and the Gray Wolves could not tip in the intentional miss on the second one.
 
Neither team led by more than five points in a tight opening half which saw four times and 10 lead changes.  Lourdes built a four-point lead, 17-13, midway through the opening 20 minutes only to have the Wildcats answer with a 14-5 run to take a 27-22 lead with four minutes remaining before break.  The Gray Wolves battled back with seven straight points, taking a lead in the final minute on a jumper by Ron Dukes (Saint Louis, Mo./North County Christian H.S.), but George Jones IV hit a three-pointer in the final 30 seconds to give the Wildcats a 30-29 lead at halftime. 
 
The game remained tight for the first seven minutes of the second half before Indiana Wesleyan went on a 10-2 run to build a 45-38 lead, and eventually the eight-point advantage before the Gray Wolves mounted their comeback.
 
Harvey led Lourdes with a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while Davis added 10 points.  Fleurima made three first half triples to finish with nine points while Butler also contributed nine for the Gray Wolves.
 
Hopkins, who scored Indiana Wesleyan's final five points of the game, led the Wildcats with 19 points and 13 rebounds while Jones IV tallied 14 points off of the bench.  Aaron Martin and Jordan Weidner had 11 points each for the tournament's seventh seed.
 
Lourdes outrebounded Indiana Wesleyan 32-26 for the night, including a 15-6 edge on the offensive glass.  The Gray Wolves shot 40.4% from the floor but just 50% (8-of-16) from the free throw line.  The Wildcats connected at 50% from the field for the game.
 
“I'm quite proud of this team,” Smith concluded. “They never quit and fought hard as a team the whole way.  They had a great season and are a good group of guys.  I couldn't be prouder to coach this team.”
 
Lourdes finished its third season of intercollegiate basketball with a 22-10 record, setting a new school mark for victories in a season.  Indiana Wesleyan (26-6) advances to the second round on Friday where the Wildcats will face Dordt (Iowa).