AURORA, IL - The 12th-ranked Benedictine University men's basketball team squandered a 23-point lead on the road, but a long three from Adam Reynolds just before the horn gave the team a 30th consecutive regular season conference win.

FINAL SCORE
Benedictine 96, Aurora 93

THE DETAILS
• Aurora scored the first two points of the contest before Benedictine came out blazing
• After making just five three-pointers in the win over Edgewood, Benedictine made five of the first six attempts in just over four minutes, storming to a lead of 18-9 at the 15:27 mark of the first half
• Michael Blaszczyk hit a free throw to push the lead to double figures at 19-9 with 15:05 to play in the half
• The points came as part of a 12-0 run which saw three three-pointers and Benedictine open a 24-9 advantage
• Aurora cut the lead down to 10 points at 29-19, but a 7-0 spurt later opened on a layup from Tahron Harvey extended the lead to 20 points at 42-22
• Zach Gorney connected on a shot from beyond the arc with 4:13 remaining in the half to give Benedictine the biggest lead of the frame at 51-28
• Five different individuals connected on first half three-pointers as Benedictine hit 10 of the first 11 attempts from long range
• Benedictine led 57-38 at the half, the most points and threes in a half this year
• Three individuals were in double figures at the break
• Aurora did not go away at home, storming back in the second half
• The hosts battled within nine points at 70-61 with 12:10 left
• Aurora was able to pull within nine two more times before slicing the margin to 76-68 with 8:23 to go
• Aurora kept coming, fighting within 78-73 with 7:05 left
• The hosts kept the game within single digits, clawing within 87-84 with just over three minutes to play
• A three-point play in the final minute brought Aurora within 93-90
• Aurora rebounded a miss on a free throw following an attempt to finish a three-point play and tie the game
• The Spartans were fouled on the putback and split free throws to tie the game with less than 10 seconds remaining
• Harvey drew a crowd and with time remaining dumped off to Reynolds who splashed home a 25-footer for the win with .2 seconds left
• The contest was played during finals week for both schools
• Benedictine has won six consecutive games

FROM THE COACH
"This was a typical game between us (Aurora and Benedictine)," said head coach Keith Bunkenburg. "We got off to a great start on both ends of the floor and came out in the second half with less energy. Give credit to Aurora for that. We never countered their runs and felt we did not finish the game well with missed free throws, fouls, and second chances. What a perfect shot from Adam (Reynolds) leading to an outstanding win on the road in a tough environment. A big thanks to our students for taking time out of finals to support us."

STAT LEADERS
• Benedictine made only two three-pointers in the second half following the first half barrage
• Benedictine shot 58.3 percent in the opening half and finished the game at 52.9 percent
• Benedictine held a 43-32 edge on the glass
• Six players reached double figures as Harvey and Blaszczyk each finished with 24
• Blaszczyk and Harvey each tallied double-doubles with Harvey nearing a triple-double
• Blaszczyk grabbed 10 rebounds with Harvey adding a game best 11 along with eight assists
• Reynolds finished with 15 points and nine boards while Brayden Olson notched 11 and Matt Chaltin and Gorney 10 each
• Reynolds grabbed the 400th rebound of his career early in the second half, becoming the 18th player in school history to reach the mark
• Blaszczyk tallied the 500th rebound of his career, becoming the 11th player in program history to score over 1,000 points and grab 500 rebounds
• Blaszczyk is the 12th player in program history to reel in 500 rebounds
• Blaszczyk and Olson each fouled out of the game

UP NEXT
Benedictine hosts Marian in another conference contest on Saturday afternoon at 4:15 p.m. The meeting marks the second in two weeks between the schools. Benedictine won the first game 95-66