LISLE, Ill. - The Benedictine University men's basketball team kept its conference tournament hopes alive by winning its third consecutive contest, escaping Marian University 65-62 on Saturday afternoon.

Benedictine never trailed in the contest but had to escape two last second game-tying three-point attempts to preserve the win.

The Eagles started strong, using a 13-0 run to jump ahead 23-7 with 12:07 left in the first half. Michael Woolf opened the run with a three and finished it with a three-point play. Benedictine scored just one more point the remainder of the half as Marian closed on a 14-1 run over the final 12:07 to pull within 24-21 at the break.

Benedictine utilized a 5-0 mini-run to open the second half and again gain some separation from the visitors. Dale Renshaw connected on a free throw to extend the lead to double digits at 33-23 with 15:44 to play. Marian kept pulling close but could never catch up to the Eagles. Woolf and the rest of Benedictine hit free throws down the stretch to preserve the victory. Benedictine was 8-for-8 from the line in the final 3:55 of the contest.

Woolf led all scorers with 18 points and was 7-for-7 from the stripe. Luke Johnson added 12.

Benedictine (7-17, 5-10) will close the regular season with a winner take all game against Rockford on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m.