Men's Basketball Rally Attempt In Final Seconds Falls Short Against Blackburn
ST. LOUIS, Mo.—The Fontbonne University men’s basketball team tried to force overtime late against Blackburn but the Beavers were able to escape with the five-point win.
ST. LOUIS, Mo.—The Fontbonne University men's basketball team tried to force overtime late against Blackburn but the Beavers were able to escape with the five-point win.
Final: Blackburn 73, Fontbonne 68
How It Happened
In the first half, the Griffins trailed past the midway point but a quick 5-0 run capped off by Cody McKinney's 3-pointer tied it up, 21-21. The Beavers closed out the half on an 8-3 run to lead by five at halftime.
Both teams had its struggles offensively in the first 20:00 with Blackburn shooting 37.9 percent from the field, while the Griffins went just 10-of-37 (27.0 percent).
Things picked up on both ends of the floor in the second. With 17:21 remaining, the Beavers led 36-27 but the Griffins started to find its rhythm going on an 11-0 run in just three minutes and 10 seconds to lead by two (38-36) on Elijah Rice's 3-pointer.
Blackburn went on to regain its lead at 7:31 and were on top 69-61 with 37.0 seconds left in regulation. However, a bucket from Anthony Jones and a 3-pointer from Hayden Cole had Fontbonne down 71-66 with 18.0 seconds left.
After McKinney hit both of his free throws, the Griffins were now down by just three. Then, on the ensuring possession, Gus Kleekamp forced the offensive charge by Javon Stovall to give Fontbonne the ball back with 13.0 seconds left.
However, the Griffins attempt at the tie came up short and Bryson Kirby went on to hit both free throws for Blackburn for the five-point win.
Head-to-Head
- Fontbonne shot a season-low 34.8 percent from the floor and just 29.6 percent from downtown.
- The team also went 12-of-20 (60.0 percent) from the free throw line.
- Blackburn ended with a 43.9 field goal percentage.
Fontbonne Leaders
- Anthony Jones led with a team-high 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
- Gus Kleekamp added 12 points and nine boards.
- Elijah Rice went 4-of-8 for 11 points, while Cody McKinney set a new season-high with 11 off the bench.
Up Next
The team returns to action this Friday night when they'll visit Iowa Wesleyan. Tip-off at 7:30 p.m.
Fans make sure to stay updated on fontbonnegriffins.com throughout the year for full updates on the men's basketball team.
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