AURORA, Ill. - Marian University men's basketball (17-11, 11-7 NACC) led by one with 17 seconds remaining, but Aurora hit two free throws and capitalized on two missed Marian shots to win the NACC Tournament championship, 67-66.
- Senior Derek Lindert got the Sabres rolling, scoring five of the team's first 10 points.
- Marian jumped out to a 12-5 lead before missing five straight shots as Aurora responded with a 10-0 run.
- During a seven-minute stretch without a field goal, junior Andrew Ayeni accounted for Marian's only points with three free throws.
- Senior Alex Vassilakis, who scored 12 points in the first half, tied the game at 23 with back-to-back three-pointers.
- A 17-point burst in the final 4:30 sent the Spartans into halftime with a 40-31 lead.
- The Sabres stormed back with an 8-0 run to open the second half, as Vassilakis hit his third and fourth three-pointers of the game.
- A fastbreak layup through contact by freshman Marvin Haslett evened the score at 46-46 with 14:30 left, as Aurora began the half shooting 2-of-10.
- With a free throw, Ayeni put the Sabres ahead for the first time in the second half.
- An Ayeni layup gave Marian a six-point lead with just eight minutes to play and Vassilakis followed with his 20th point to keep the Sabres in front.
- Leading 66-65 with 2:24 to play, Marian controlled possession for nearly 50 seconds but missed four shots on the trip.
- With neither team scoring for over two minutes, Aurora was fouled with 17.6 seconds remaining. Mekhi Doby made both free throws, giving the Spartans a 67-66 lead. Ayeni fouled out on the play.
- Haslett drove to the lane for a layup but was blocked with 7.4 seconds left. Off the ensuing inbounds, Vassilakis' three missed, and Aurora grabbed the rebound.
- The Spartans went to the line with 0.3 seconds left, missed both attempts, and time ran out as Aurora secured the NACC Tournament championship.
- Vassilakis closed out his Marian career by recording his ninth double-double of the season.
- Aurora shot just 7-of-27 (.259) in the second half. The Spartans, who averaged 86.1 points per game this season, were held to just 67.
- The lead changed hands nine times, with the score tied on six occasions.
- Marian shot 11-of-18 (.611) from the free-throw line, below their season average of 70%.
- Marian and Aurora faced off for the 35th time, with the Spartans holding a 24-11 all-time advantage.
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Senior Alex Vassilakis scored a game-high 22 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and shot 4-of-6 from three-point range. |
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Junior Andrew Ayeni scored 17 points, including six from the free-throw line. |
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Senior Derek Lindert added 10 points, including two three-pointers. |
