Concordia 72, Siena Heights 63 - OT

(Feb. 3, 2010 - Ann Arbor, Mich.) -- Midway through the first-half the Concordia men's basketball team looked lethargic and totally out of synch as they trailed the Siena Heights Saints 19-7 and seemed en route to a disappointing defeat in a must-win game if the Cards have any hope of hosting a home-playoff game in the WHAC first round.

Even though the Cards cut the lead to a single digit early in the second half, the Saints were able to build another double-digit lead at 43-33 with 13:12 remaining. It wasn't until the clock had a little more than five minutes remaining before Concordia put together any sort of run that had the Cardinal faithful thinking comeback.

Trailing 54-46, Marius Williams (Jr. - Belleville, Mich.) drained a three-pointer followed by a pair of free throws by Jeremy Simmons (So. - Detroit, Mich.) to pull the Cards within one possession.

Williams finished with a game-high 18 points, with seven rebounds and three assists; while Simmons' throws were the only points he recorded while grabbing seven rebounds and swatting a pair of shots.

Williams would come down after a Cardinal stop on defense and rattle home another triple and the game was tied at 54-54 with 2:58 remaining.

The two teams would exchange makes and then Brent Reynolds of SHU seemingly put the Saints up for good with a three-pointer making it 59-56 with 1:45 left.

Rocko Holmes (So. - Cadillac, Mich.) would knock one of his two free throws after a beautiful move in the paint and lay-in just fell of the rim moving a three-point chance to a one-point possesion after the free throw split.

Holmes would record a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds while also picking up a trio of blocks and assists.

But rather then hanging his head, Holmes hustled back on defense and after Reynolds missed the front end of a one-and-one, the Cards came down and Austin Cook found the big fella in the paint who knocked down the shot to tie the game sending it to overtime.

Cook (So. - Mt. Clemens, Mich.) had eight points, but when Concordia struggled mightily in the first-half, dropped down a pair of three-pointers preventing the game from escaping the Cardinals. Cook had two rebounds and the game-tying assist to his stat line.

Overtime had all the makings of a classic before Concordia pulled away. Trailing 62-61 with 3:20 remaining, Holmes gave the Cards the lead with a bucket in the paint. After stopping Siena on the offensive end, Craig Archer (Sr. - Marysville, Mich.) took a Holmes pass and dropped in the basket and the Cards lead by three 65-62.

Archer had a solid night as he scored 13 points, hauled in nine rebounds and picked up a pair of steals.

The Saints' Logan Matthews converted only one of two free throws and Williams followed suit for the Cards on back-to-back trips to the line and with 1:32 remaining Concordia lead 67-63.

With the game still long from being decided, Kyle Barlow stepped up and closed the door on Siena Heights by draining a long three-pointer with 36 ticks remaining and the Cards were up 70-63. Cook would score the final bucket of the night and Concordia scored the final seven points of the game to win 72-63.

Concordia (10-15, 3-6 WHAC) has now won 9 of the last 11 meetings against Siena Heights and still has a chance at securing a home playoff game in the first round of the WHAC playoffs. Next up for the Cards are the Indiana Tech Warriors, who will enter play with a 7-16 overall record and a 2-7 mark in the WHAC. Tech has lost their last five games and was knocked off for the first-time ever at home against Concordia earlier this season 67-63.