GLEN ELLYN, Ill. - Benedictine University's men's basketball team came up a little short in its final non-conference tune-up prior to league play, losing to Carleton College (Minn.), 77-75, in a game played at the College of DuPage. The loss dropped the Eagles to 2-2 overall, while the Knights improved to 2-0 for 2009-10.
The "home" game was played off of Benedictine's campus due to the installation of a wood floor, along with other renovations, being done at the Dan and Ada Rice Center. In an incredible bit of irony, the only other meeting between Carleton College and the Eagles in men's basketball was exactly 14 years ago to the day (won by CC, 100-96). Just like Wednesday evening's contest, that game too was played off campus - at Benet Academy - because Benedictine (then known as Illinois Benedictine College) was resurfacing its multi-use tartan surface in the Rice Center during that time.
The way the game started for the Eagles on Wednesday, it was as if the Knights felt right at home by jumping out to a 7-0 lead on a layup by their leading scorer in the game, Jeremy Sutherland (21 points). Sutherland was 7-of-9 from the field and 6-of-8 from the free throw stripe as the only CC player in double-digit scoring (he also had three steals).
But Benedictine sophomore
Mike Bumber - who also poured in 21 points (13 in the first half) - canned a three-point basket with 9:20 minutes left in the first half to help BU draw even and then, less than a minute later, made another long-distance call to give the Eagles their first lead of the night, 22-19.
Carleton began to re-build its lead and carried a nine point, 44-35, cushion into the locker room. Within two minutes of the second half, the Knights had extended the advantage to 12 points, 49-37, on a trey from Blaise Davis (9 points).
From that point, however, a 16-0 run by Benedictine saw the team erase the deficit and go up by four points, 53-49, with 12:54 left to play. A monster dunk by
Rob Bridgeman on an alley-oop pass from
Cameron Snelling (8 points and 7 rebounds) gave the Eagles what would be their biggest lead of the night. Sophomore transfer Bradley Bruno - who scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half - poured in five points during BU's run.
The two teams swapped baskets most of the half until the Knights took the lead for good, 70-69, on a layup by Bryan Rosett (9 points and 7 rebounds).
BU's #A.J. Brown# shared game high rebound honors with teammate Snelling and CC's Rosett, with seven boards (to go along with his nine points). Bruno and Bumber each grabbed six caroms for the Eagles, while Bruno also had a game-leading five assists in the loss.
Carleton shot a blistering 52 percent (28-54) from the field for the game after hitting more than 62 percent (18-29) in the first half alone.
Benedictine will next play on Tuesday, December 1 (7:00 p.m.) when it hosts the Milwaukee School of Engineering to open Northern Athletics Conference action (the game will be played at North Central College's Gregory Arena).
