Another game came down to the wire for the Beloit College men's basketball team, the third in a row for the Buccaneers. Once again it was big plays on defense late and the free throw line that sealed the win for a second consecutive game, this time a 55-51 victory over Lawrence University Saturday afternoon in Flood Arena.
As the final score would suggest, it was a low-scoring affair with the Bucs enjoying a six-point, 25-19, advantage at the intermission. The Vikings shot just 28-percent from the floor in the first half while Beloit picked up their efficiency late in the period to end the half 41-percent from the field.
Five minutes into the second half, the Bucs pushed the lead into double figures, 38-27, but an eight-point run for Lawrence cut the lead to three with just over 10 minutes to play. The Bucs' advantage fluctuated between two and seven over the next seven minutes until a pair of Viking free throws cut the lead to just one with 2:24 on the clock.
With just over two minutes left,
Tristan Shoup went up high for a rebound and was fouled on the tip-in opportunity making one of two at the line but a quick jumper on the other end knotted the game 48-48 with 1:38 to go. A Lawrence foul sent
Andrew Walters to the line where he made good on the pair of freebies to give Beloit a 50-48 lead with 1:07 to go. Each team missed a three in their offensive possession but the tide turned for good on Lawrence's next possession. The Vikings' go-to slasher drove the lane and
Mason Jones stepped in and stepped up taking the contact to draw a charge with ten seconds left. Lawrence called timeout as the great defensive play swung all of the momentum Beloit's way.
However, there was still drama to be had...the Vikings fouled quickly on the inbound and the Bucs hit one of two to make it a three-point game, 51-48, with eight seconds to go. The Bucs fouled with five seconds to go and LU hit the first shot from the line. The Vikings tried to miss the second opportunity short on time and down two but the ball went off the backboard, hit the front of the rim and dropped in to make it a one-point game and give the Bucs' the inbound.
After a quick Lawrence timeout, the Bucs got the inbound where they wanted, in the hands of their best free throw shooter
Michael Polakoski who knocked down both to push the gap back to three. Once again, Beloit opted to foul and this time LU was successful in making the first and intentionally missing the second but Polakoski came down with the rebound. The Vikings fouled once more and Polakoski drained both with a second to play to seal the win.
Polakoski led Beloit with 14 points bolstered by 3-6 from beyond the three-point arc and 5-6 from the charity stripe. Shoup pitched in 11 on 4-6 from the field adding a team-high eight rebounds.
Caden Anderson provided great minutes off the bench for the Bucs hitting 3-6 from the field for nine points.
Up Next: The Bucs host Knox and Illinois College in a pair of weekend games. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 and 1 p.m. Friday and Saturday respectively.
