Pride fall in overtime on opening night
DUBUQUE, Iowa – Starting the 2023-2024 season off with an overtime thriller, the Clarke University men's basketball team was unable to hold off the RedHawks of Indiana Northwest after a final score of 76-82.
After a pair of Chris Burnell free throws put the Pride up 64-59 with 17 seconds left in regulation, Anthony Taylor of the RedHawks would sprint down the court to make a contested layup and draw a foul for an and-one opportunity. Anthony would make the free throw to put the RedHawks down 62-64.
After Burnell would hit another from the charity stripe, Clarke would hold a 65-62 lead with 10 seconds left.
With the clock ticking down and Indiana Northwest needing a three, Taylor kept the ball in his hands, this time shooting in the right corner trying to send the game into overtime. He missed the shot, but was fouled in the process and hit all three free throws to tie the game and add five more minutes to the game.
Both teams would trade baskets through overtime until the RedHawks took the lead for good after a Lamarious Lillard jumper with 1:11 left made the score 76-74 and the Pride fizzled on the offensive end only scoring two more points.
Holding a lead for the entire first half with a lead as big as 10 points, CU would take a 36-29 lead at the break. However, to begin the second half, Clarke would come out cold missing their first eight, and turned the ball over in their first handful of possessions.
This sparked an Indiana Northwest 9-0 run and they would take their first lead at 38-36 with 18:14 remaining in the second.
The Pride shot 26-70 (37.1%) for the game from the floor and 5-26 (19.2%) from three-point range. Shooting just a little better from the floor (45.9%) and from three (21.1%), the RedHawks real difference maker was their 22-29 (75.9%) from the stripe compared to the Pride's 19-33 (57.6%).
Scoring 21 points on 50% in his debut, Jake Layman also grabbed eight boards with four being offensive. Biggie Luster was the other Clarke 20-point scorer, finishing with exactly 20 and had seven rebounds. Coming off the bench this evening, Jacob Fierst was a spark offensively scoring 15 points total, 10 of those coming in the first half.
Indiana Northwest had four players in double-figures as Taylor and Jalen Houston each scored 18 points. Dannie Smith scored 16 points in 28 minutes and snagged seven rebounds. Lillard finished with a double-double scoring 10 points and 15 boards.
The Pride men's basketball will play at home again tomorrow at 2:00 P.M. CST against Judson University.