Posted: Jan 17, 2024
(Ann Arbor, MI) - Concordia men's basketball played host to rival Siena Heights in WHAC play on a chilly Wednesday evening. The nightcap of the evening's doubleheader went right down to the wire as well, but the Saints held on to hand the Cardinals a 77-74 loss.
Zavion McClendon led all scorers with 22 points. Dylan Jergens was second with 15 points. Joey Garwood (12), Devyn Jones (11) and Nate Brighton (10) were all in double figures as well. Devyn Jones had a team-high 8 rebounds.
Nate Brighton opened scoring with a 3-pointer. Dylan Jergens drove for an early layup and Brighton scored off a feed from Jergens. Devyn Jones converted a layup inside and Zavion McClendon also made a quick drive and a jumper. Nate Brighton hit a triple and McClendon tied the game 20-20 with a basket, but Siena Heights rallied to lead 25-20 at the midway point.
A 6-2 run pulled Concordia within a point after free throws from Dylan Jergens. Zavion McClendon made another quick drive to the basket and Joey Garwood made 3 free throws after being fouled behind the arc. Garwood tied the game with a triple and Colby Chapman converted a go-ahead layup for a 37-35 lead with 2:38 to play. Zavion McClendon added a late basket for a 39-36 lead at halftime.
Zavion McClendon continued his solid game with Concordia's first second-half basket. Dylan Jergens finished off an "and-1" and the lead continued to shift with McClendon draining a triple. Dylan Jergens and Mark DeVries made layups and the Cardinals began to build a lead. And "and-1" from Devyn Jones gave CUAA their largest lead of the game with a 58-50 advantage at the 11:45 mark.
A 9-0 run by Siena Heights took the lead away from the Cardinals, but Joey Garwood nailed a triple to pull back ahead. Dylan Jergens made a putback and Zavion McClendon drained a 3-pointer and a layup to keep the game close. Devyn Jones tied the game 74-74 with 1:32 to play.
Siena Heights took a 77-74 lead with 19 seconds remaining. Both Joey Garwood and Zavion McClendon had solid looks from behind the arc in the final seconds, but the Cardinals fell 77-74 as time expired.
Concordia will travel to Rochester this Saturday at 3pm.
