Jan 17, 2008 - 04:06:12 CST
University of Mary men's basketball coach Juno Pintar said last weekend's game at Bemidji State was the most exciting one he's been involved with as a coach or player.That's a pretty strong statement, considering Pintar has been around the basketball block a time or two.
U-Mary (3-5 NSIC, 6-10 overall) won the game 71-69 in overtime.
Eric Erdmann sent the game into the extra stanza on a set up from Geoff West.
After BSU shot a pair of free throws with 6.1 seconds remaining, Erdmann sprinted down the floor and cut across the block. West threw Erdmann a perfect pass and Erdmann just beat the buzzer.
"If they didn't have the lights on the backboard it would have been a tough call for the officials,"Pintar said. "The official called it with no hesitation, and there was no argument from the Bemidji coach."
Prior to that possession, Pintar scolded West.
"We had a terrible possession with a chance to take the lead," Pintar said. "I was mad at Westy. He made up for it with one of the best passes you will ever see in a last-second situation."
West set Erdmann up again for the game-winner. Erdmann posted up about 12 feet away from the hoop, spun and shot with his left hand. He made the bucket with about a second remaining.
"It bounced twice and went through,"Pintar said.
The teams played through 17 lead changes and 19 ties.
"Even in the first half you knew every possession was important," Pintar said.
Next up for U-Mary is an away contest against No. 15-ranked Northern State on Saturday.
The next weekend, U-Mary plays at Upper Iowa and No. 4 Winona State.
"Upper Iowa and Winona is probably the toughest trip of the year and the toughest places to play,"Pintar said. "The crowd is on you. They will say things that will make sailors blush."
Scoring machines
Fred Fridley's women's team seems to have no problems putting up points. The Marauders (6-2 NSIC, 11-5 overall) combined to put up 205 points this past weekend.
U-Mary scored 106 against Minnesota-Crookston and 99 against Bemidji State.
"We were efficient offensively," Fridley said. "We did a good job on shot selection, ball movement and player movement."
Against Crookston, the U-Mary posts combined for a 22-of-26 effort from the field.
In the Bemidji game, the Marauders would have eclipsed the century mark again had they not missed 14 free throws.
"Bemidji has a good offense,"Fridley said. "There were 144 shots taken in a 40-minute basketball game. It was a fun game to watch."
The Marauders are sitting at No. 2 in the NSIC standings, behind Concordia-St. Paul. They will face a tough test on Saturday at Northern State.
"We didn't play well there a year ago,"Fridley said. "We had our most disappointing effort of the year. We are looking forward to this opportunity and having a chance to play there again."
Last year the Marauders won four road games. This year they've already won six.
Laber off to good start
The heavyweight class seems to be agreeing with U-Mary wrestler Jesse Laber.
In the two matches the senior has wrestled in, he hasn't given up a point. The Napoleon native wrestled in the 197-pound division last year.
"He's got a great defense," U-Mary coach Ben Berogan said. "He has excellent shot defense. He's tough to take down, and he's nearly impossible to throw."
Laber will face a tough test this weekend at MSU-Mankato and Upper Iowa. Laber will see competitors ranked head of him in the regional rankings.
U-Mary 197-pounder Dusty Vliem came away with a special effort against Jamestown College. The Hettinger native picked up his first collegiate win against Chris Thoreson.
"(Thoreson) is one of Jamestown's top wrestlers,"Berogan said. "One of the major things for (Vliem) is getting over injuries from football. The more matches he gets in, he will keep getting better."
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