SYLVANIA, Ohio. – Lourdes men's basketball (17-5) (11-5 in WHAC) lost 82 to 94 to Cleary (8-13) (7-9 in WHAC) on Saturday afternoon, ending their season's undefeated home record.
The Cougars have gotten the better of the Gray Wolves' defense this season, with both losses resulting in two of the top-five most points allowed by Lourdes in a game.
The loss ends the Gray Wolves' three-game winning streak as well as the Lourdes basketball programs' combined undefeated record at 23-0.
The good news for Lourdes is that Indiana Tech got upset by Defiance today, keeping the Gray Wolves a game behind the Warriors and two games back from Madonna for first place in the WHAC.
1st Half
Sophomore guard
Derek Fairley kept Lourdes in the game in the first half, contributing 15 points and going to the free throw line on five separate occasions. Fairley's physical driving ability helped keep Lourdes within nine of Cleary at the half, despite the Cougars shooting over 50% from the field and the three-point line.
Fairley ended the game with 31 points to lead all scorers, giving him a whopping seven 30-point performances on the year and keeping him in the PPG lead in the WHAC with a 24.7 average. Fairley also remains fifth in the NAIA in scoring.
Another Lourdes player getting attention in the first half was freshman center
Charlie Wood, who played in his first game in a week and a half due to injury. Wood only played 13 minutes in the game but had a good defensive presence in the paint for Lourdes. Freshman guard
J'Siah Jefferson, however, is still out for the Lourdes lineup.
2nd Half
Lourdes played much better to start the second half, going on a 15 to 7 run to cut the lead to one point. Senior guard/forward
Stephen Coleman Jr. showed up for Lourdes in the run, dropping 10 points on the Cougars defense. Coleman Jr. also came up big with a couple of transition dunks a few minutes later to cut the Cleary advantage to to 68 to 64 with seven minutes left.
Coleman Jr. finished the game with a career-high 25-points and 10 rebounds, the best statistical offensive game of his career.
"We know Steve has it in him on the offensive end, especially when it comes to rebounding the ball," Coach DuPree said postgame. "When he has nights like this, we're not too surprised."
Cleary led 70 to 68 with five and a half minutes to play before the Cougars fast paced offense took control. Brian Everhart made two triples and two layups to extend the Cleary lead to double digits with two and a half minutes left to go.
A
Karter Koester three-pointer brought the lead back to nine but Cleary's strong free throw shooting in the last 90 seconds iced the win for the Cougars.
Stats
Cleary outshot Lourdes by 8.7% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc. Each team struggled heavily with free throw shooting with both squads missing 10 at the charity stripe. Rebounding was the other stat that Cleary had the clear advantage in, outrebounding Lourdes by nine overall and by eight in second chance points.
However, the turnover battle swung Lourdes' way by four. The Gray Wolves have been very strong at taking care of the basketball as of late with six of their last seven games having 10 or fewer turnovers.
Coach DuPree's Postgame Comments
"Taking the care of the ball and getting every possession is something we try to preach," Coach DuPree said postgame. "But our shot selection wasn't the best, which can be like a turnover. We've got to move on from this one and get ready for Rochester. You can't get too down after a loss; you got to keep your head up and figure out a way to bounce back."
Next Game
Lourdes will take on Rochester Christian on the road on Feb. 4 at 7:30 pm. The game could be crucial for playoff seeding in the upcoming WHAC Tournament.
