Lourdes University Athletics

Lourdes battled back from a 16-point first half deficit to force overtime before completing the comeback in the extra session on Saturday afternoon, defeating Saint Mary-of-the-Woods 75-72 inside the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center.
 
"Our guys fought today," head coach Dennis Hopson said afterwards.  "They showed me fight and courage that I hadn't seen in them before.  In the first half we played on their terms.  We adjusted and went small and made the right plays to get back in the game.  This is a great game for us to build upon."
 
Joey Holifield (Toledo, Ohio/Cardinal Stritch H.S.) tallied a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds while playing all 45 minutes and Shaunn Monroe (Charleston, W. Va./Fairborn [Ohio] H.S.) added 20 more points, including 16 after halftime.
 
Jakiel Wells (Toledo, Ohio/St. Francis de Sales H.S.) came off the bench to add 16 points and five assists while Jackie Harris (Toledo, Ohio/St. Francis de Sales H.S.) chipped in 14 points.
 
Lourdes, ranked 24^th in this week's NAIA top-25 poll, scored the game's first six points before being held scoreless for more than six minutes as the Pomeroys tallied 15 unanswered to build a nine-point advantage at the 11:42 mark.  Saint Mary-of-the-Woods slowly increased its leads throughout the opening stanza, pushing the advantage to 16, 35-19, with just under four minutes to play until intermission.  The Gray Wolves would score the final six points of the half though to pull within 10, 35-25, at halftime.
 
The Gray Wolves extended the run to start the second half, scoring the first five points to pull within five, only to see the visitors immediately respond and push the lead back to 11 at the 15:33 mark.  Lourdes trailed by as many as 12 in the second half, 45-33, and was still behind by 10, 47-37, with 11:22 to play.
 
The deficit was eight, 51-43, at the 6:43 mark when Holifield hit a jumper and Harris followed with an old-fashioned three-point play.  After Saint Mary-of-the-Woods answered with a three-pointer, Holifield made a jumper in the lane and Harris cut the deficit to one with a triple from long range.
 
Monroe scored on the fast break with 3:14 to play giving Lourdes a 55-54 lead, its first edge since four minutes into the contest.  The lead went back-and-forth down the stretch with a Wells steal and score pushing the Gray Wolf advantage to three ,61-58, with 57.8 seconds to play in regulation. 
 
Greg Jenkins answered with a jumper for the Pomeroys and after a Lourdes miss, Jenkins split a pair of free throws with 6.6 ticks left on the clock to pull even.  Nic Borojevic (Swanton, Ohio/Swanton H.S.) had a look to win in regulation for the Gray Wolves from three-point range at the buzzer but just missed the mark.
 
Wells opened overtime banking in a three-pointer from the right win and Monroe followed with a lay-in as Lourdes never trailed in the extra session.  The Gray Wolves led by as many as six with 2:36 left before the Pomeroys made a late run.  A three-pointer cut the lead to two and Chaz Birchfield made two free throws with 15.9 seconds left to make it a 73-72 game.  Holifield was fouled and connected twice from the line with 9.4 seconds left before Lincoln Hale's three-point attempt to tie for the visitors came up short as the horn sounded.
 
Lourdes shot just 38.6% from the floor, including 4-of-17 (23.5%) from beyond the arc and committed 17 turnovers but made 17-of-19 (89.5%) from the free throw line, going 11-for-12 in the second half and overtime.
 
Cobie Barnes led Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (1-1) with 25 points while Jenkins added 13 more.  Birchfield pulled down 10 boards for the Pomeroys as the team outrebounded the Gray Wolves 40-37 on the afternoon.
 
Lourdes (3-0) will open Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference action on Wednesday evening as the Gray Wolves host Siena Heights.  Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. inside the Ebeid Rec Center.