Spartans Tumble to Dutch in Overtime
Jan 25, 2017
DUBUQUE, Iowa - Fans on Wednesday witnessed a stellar Iowa Conference match-up which kept them on their edge of their seats until the end. The end didn't happen in regulation, it took overtime before the visiting Central Dutch would capture the IIAC tilt 93-90.
The Spartans rallied late when they trailed the Dutch by 10 points with 2:33 left. A couple of key Dutch turnovers in the final minute set UD up with a chance for a victory. Jacob Mohlis connected on a three pointer and Jake Weber drove the hoop for a lay-up to slice the Central lead to three points with 24 seconds to go.
A foul sent the Dutch to the free throw line with 19 seconds left. They would miss the front end of a 1 and 1 and UD's Weber grabbed the rebound. Henry Thompson pulled up quick for a deep three from the right side and knotted the game for the fourth time with just eight seconds left on the clock. A timeout, offered one last chance for the Dutch to regain the lead on a three of their own, only to have it bounce off the rim as time expired with game tied at 82-82.
A couple of missed open jumpers to start overtime left the Spartans trailing by six points 82-88. A bench technical by the Spartans with 3:28 in overtime would send the Dutch once again to the free throw line and they sank both to extend the lead to eight points. UD would fight to within a pair of points at 1:49 and again with :44 ticks on the clock. Missed shots by both teams opened the door for UD, but the Spartans missed a three pointer, grabbed the offensive rebound and missed a short jumper with .4 on the clock after a UD foul. Central would miss the first free throw and connect on the second to capture the win by a 93-90 final overtime mark.
The game was dominated from the opening tip-off by the Spartans Jamaree Atwater who finished the first half with 25 points in just 17 minutes of action. He led all scorers with 34 points before exiting around the five minute mark left in second half and was helped off the court by teammates after a foot injury.
Mohlis finished the night with 20 points and teammate Weber added 16 points and hauled in 12 defensive rebounds. Central starting five all finished in double digits in scoring. Both teams struggled at the free throw line. UD sank 17-25 attempts (68%) and the Dutch 11-18 attempts (61.1%).
The Spartans (7-11 overall, 4-6 in IIAC) will host their third conference game of the week on Saturday when the Buena Vista University Beavers travel across highway 20 to Dubuque. The Beavers were supposed to host Nebraska Wesleyan University on Wednesday, but weather in western Iowa forced a postponement unctil Monday, Jan. 30.
