CHICAGO – Sophomore forward Brian Klements (Willoughby Hills, Ohio/Willoughby South) recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, but it wasn't enough as the Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team fell by a score of 81-73 to open the second half of the University Athletic Association schedule on Friday evening inside the Ratner Center.
The Spartans (9-10, 2-6 UAA) return to action this Sunday, February 3 versus No. 21 nationally-ranked Washington University-St. Louis at 12:00 p.m. CDT inside the WU Field House. With the victory, the Maroons improve to 9-10 overall and 3-5 in conference play.
Statistically, sophomore guard Julien Person (Houston, Texas/Second Baptist) led the Spartan scoring attack with 14 points to go along with eight rebounds and a team-best five assists, while senior forward Austin Fowler (Farmington Hills, Mich./Birmingham Brother Rice) added 13 markers. Sophomore forward Dane McLoughlin (Westerville, Ohio/St. Charles Preparatory) also finished in double figures with 10.
With the score tied 5-5 at the 16:30 mark of the first half, the Maroons rattled off an 11-0 run that covered 3:25 of action before junior center David Thompson (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior) knocked down a pair of free throws for the Spartans. Chicago's advantage grew to as many as 14, 27-13, on a jumper by Sam Gage with 6:57 left.
However, the Spartans responded with a 9-2 run capped off by a lay-up from Klements and pulled to within seven, at 29-22, with just over three minutes left before half. The two teams exchanged 5-0 spurts, but an "old fashioned" three-point play in the final seconds by Wayne Simon gave Chicago a 10-point edge at the break, 37-27.
In the second, the Spartans pulled to within five, 45-40, on a jumper from McLoughlin with just over 14 minutes left. However, Chicago managed an 8-0 run that spanned nearly a three-minute stretch and pushed the advantage back to 13 with 11:34 left. That lead grew to as many as 17, at 64-47, with 6:41 left on a jumper from Matt McKenzie.
Refusing to go away, the visitors eventually cut the Chicago advantage to eight, 74-66, on a three-pointer from Person with 2:15 left in regulation. In the final minutes, however, Chicago thwarted numerous Case comeback attempts and held on for the eight-point victory.
Of note, Chicago committed just two turnovers as a team compared to 11 for the Spartans.