PLYMOUTH (IN) - There are a number of things that can be assumed about a 3-21 team, but one thing is certain, this Marian University Ancilla Men's Basketball team continues to battle each night, and Wednesday they suffered their second consecutive loss by just one possession, this time having the ball last with an opportunity to tie or win before falling, 76-74.
Southwestern Michigan scored a basket at the 1:01 mark, putting them up 75-70. MUAC pushed the ball up the floor, and Freshman Kayden English hit a pull-up jumper from about 17-feet with 52.0 seconds left to cut it to 75-72. Coach Foster then followed that with a timeout to get his defense set. The Roadrunners walked the ball up and were able to kill a lot of clock. When they finally attacked they were fouled and went to the free throw line with 22.4 seconds remaining.
Southwestern Michigan knocked down the second of two free throws to extend their lead to 76-72. Following a Roadrunner timeout, and with the Chargers going back on attack, English attacked the rim this time and missed a tough, contested shot, but Freshman A'Marien Page elevated, caught the rebound in the air, and was fouled with 17.0 seconds left on the put-back attempt. The 6-6 forward was able to bury both shots, cutting the lead to 76-74, and Coach Foster called another timeout.
Following this timeout, the Chargers fouled with 15.1 seconds remaining, once again sending the Roadrunners to the charity stripe. However, this time they missed both attempts and English grabbed the rebound and began to push it up the right side of the court. The ball got reversed a couple of times before a 15-foot contested jumper was attempted from the right elbow with 1.5 seconds left that caught the right side of the backboard as the clock expired.
English had the best game of his young career, scoring 29 points on 10-19 shooting, he was 3-3 from deep and 6-7 from the free throw line. He also pulled down 7 boards and collected a pair of steals. Sophomores Kenneth Grant (15 points, 4 rebounds) and Michael Johnson Jr. (12 points, 4 rebounds) joined English in double figures.
The Chargers now turn to Glen Oaks tomorrow (2/7), whom they just had a one possession game with this Monday (2/7). They will be the second half of a women's/men's double-header, with tip time being at approximately 3:00p. Please come out and support these young men, if you are able, as they battle for their first conference victory!!
