JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Spalding University men's basketball team defeated top-seeded MacMurray College 74-60. The win saw the Golden Eagles improve to 13-13 as they advance to the SLIAC championship. The loss dropped MacMurray to 15-12 to end their season.
Freshman
Rylan Rowe led the Golden Eagles in scoring with a game high 19 points.
James Turner followed behind with 16 points, six assists, and grabbing five rebounds. Lance Buhlig led the way for MacMurray with 14 points, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.
The Golden Eagles opened on a 7-1 run including
Dominique Ellis' opening three-point field goal. MacMurray would cut into the lead trailing 10-5 before
Terez Smith would go baseline for a slam that would silence the hostile atmosphere in Bill Wall Gymnasium. It would not quiet the Highlanders however, as they reeled off an 8-0 run to take their first lead of the game at 13-12 with a little more than six and a half minutes played. A 5-0 run by Spalding, including a Rowe three-point field goal, saw them regain the lead. An 8-4 advantage from MacMurray saw Spalding go scoreless for over four minutes, but they managed to hold the lead at 27-26. Desperately needing a basket,
Brandon Goeing hit a three-point field goal, which gave Spalding a 30-26 lead that they would take into the locker room.
Spalding would come out of the break firing on all cylinders en route to a 10-2 run to push their lead to 12 points. An 8-2 run by MacMurray capped off by Deavis Johnson's triple saw the Spalding lead get cut to 42-36, with just under five minutes played in the second half. After a pair of MacMurray free-throws, the Highlanders trailed by five, 46-41. Spalding would find separation by hitting three straight three-point field goals, including two from Rowe, to erupt for a 15-2 run. MacMurray would try to answer by hitting three straight three-point field goals of their own, but Spalding made six consecutive free throws to hold a 67-52 lead with just over three minutes remaining in the game. MacMurray would outscore Spalding 8-7 to end the game, but Spalding would hold the ball as time expired to claim the victory.
Spalding will be back in action at Bill Wall Gymnasium as they look to complete their tournament run with a SLIAC championship against Westminster College. Tip-off is set for 2 pm EST.
