With just under 15 minutes left in regulation Saturday afternoon, the UW-Superior men's basketball team found themselves trailing host Buena Vista 51-33 and looking for answers.
The Yellowjackets found some of those answers over the next nine minutes, staging a furious rally to finally even matters 62-62 on a Bronson Byrne (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska) layup with 5:08 remaining in the second half.
Unfortunately for UW-Superior, the Beavers made several plays down the stretch however, getting a jumper from Alex Savage and four free throws from Troy Ticknor in the final 46 seconds on the way to holding on for a 74-72 win at Siebens Fieldhouse in Storm Lake, Iowa.
Playing without leading scorer Jarrod Peterson (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata), the Yellowjackets shot 50 percent from the field (28-of-56) for the third straight game. But Buena Vista held a 47-37 edge in rebounding, including grabbing 20 offensive rebounds in dropping UW-Superior to 3-7 on the season.
The two teams battled back-and-forth through the first 13 minutes before a Walter Charlton (Nassau, Bahamas/Teleos Christian) lay-in with 7:11 gave the Yellowjackets a 21-19 lead.
Buena Vista (6-3) would score the next 12 points, getting six consecutive points from Nick Clark, to take a 31-21 advantage with 2:42 left on the clock before heading to intermission holding a 36-29 edge.
The Beavers continued to pull away through the first six minutes of the second half, taking their largest lead with 14:19 on a jumper by Ticknor to make it a 51-33 lead for Buena Vista.
UW-Superior steadily rallied back, getting 10 straight points from Brendan Bauer (Eleva, Wis./Gilmanton) from 11:53 to 10:02 to cut the deficit to 56-52.
After Byrne tied the game with 5:08 showing on the clock, three more free throws from Bauer tied the game at 65-65 with 3:05 left before a layup by Aaron Corry (Lake Nebagamon, Wis.) tied the game for the last time at 67-67 with 1:21 remaining in regulation.
But Savage's jumper with 46 seconds gave the Beavers the lead for good and they converted on five free throws in the last 17 seconds to seal the victory.
The Yellowjackets were paced offensively by Byrne, who scored a game-high 21 points. Corry added 14 points while Bauer had 13 and Johnquez Brooks (Las Vegas, Nev.) pitched in with 11 points and seven assists.
Buena Vista was led by Wes Nordquist with 15 points. Greg Sibenaller had 12 points while Savage added 10 points for the Beavers.
UW-Superior returns to action on Dec. 28 when they head to Eau Claire to take on Gustavus Adolphus at the UW-Eau Claire Holiday Classic. Game time is scheduled for 5 p.m.