ADRIAN, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University men’s basketball team snapped its three-game skid with a 78-61 win at Siena Heights University in non-conference action on Monday night.
The win moved the Cougars back to the .500 mark for the season at 5-5 while the Saints dipped to 4-6 overall.
Senior Greg Hamilton led the way with a game-high 21 points while fellow senior Peter Barry matched his season-high with 12. Sophomore Zach Medendorp also finished in double figures with 10 points.
The game was back and forth early on seeing seven lead changes through the first 14 minutes. With Siena Heights holding a slim 27-26 lead and 6:23 remaining in the half, Hamilton would fuel a 12-0 run over the next three minutes with seven points and the Cougars would never trail again.
After taking a 40-32 lead into halftime, Spring Arbor quickly pushed its advantage to double digits in the second stanza. Siena Heights put together a few straight defensive stops to stay within striking distance, but was unable to slow the Cougars down for long. Barry and Hamilton hit back-to-back jumpers to spark another lengthy scoring run and freshman Luke Barber capped it off with a three-pointer to put the game out of reach.
The Cougars shot 52 percent (31-for-60) from the field and hit 10 three-pointers. Meanwhile, the SAU defense silenced the Saints’ shooters, holding them to 39 percent (26-for-67) shooting, including a 3-for-18 mark from three-point range.
Freshman Anthony Qasawa hit three triples on the night to finish with nine points while also adding five assists. Junior Caleb Hogans and Barber chipped in eight points apiece while junior Thomas Starks grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
Up next, Spring Arbor will visit local rival Albion College (3-2) on Friday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m.
Courtesy Chris Bauman, Spring Arbor University Sports Information Director