Box Score

MEQUON, Wis. - The Benedictine University men's basketball team dropped its regular season finale 67-62 at Concordia University Wisconsin in the Northern Athletics Conference Challenge game on Saturday afternoon. The defeat means Benedictine will hold the second seed in the conference tournament, which opens this week.

Concordia Wisconsin jumped out to a nine-point advantage less than three minutes into the game at 13-4 after a Mitchell Schneider layup. Mark Pace hit a jumper with 12:10 left in the opening half to pull Benedictine within 17-16. The hosts continued to lead through the first 20 minutes, responding with an eight-point lead and holding a 37-33 lead at the break.

Benedictine continued to inch closer in the second half, grabbing the lead for the first time at 43-41 when Nate Green dropped home a layup with 14:11 left. Following a few minutes of back and forth basketball, the hosts again opened a seven-point lead at 54-47 on a Nick Doedens layup just past the midway point of the half. The Eagles responded with an 8-0 run to retake the lead at 55-54 on a three-point play from Jamison Montgomery with 7:29 remaining. Luke Doedens capped a 10-2 run with a three to put Concordia Wisconsin (20-5) ahead 64-57 with 2:15 to play. Benedictine pulled no closer that four the rest of the way.

Tim McGinty led Benedictine with a career best 18 points, finishing a perfect 7-for-7 from the floor. Green added 14 points and Montgomery 10. The Eagles shot 43.6 percent from the floor in the defeat and held a 45-35 advantage on the glass.

Benedictine (12-13) will host seventh seeded Aurora University on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. in the conference tournament opener. The Eagles swept the season series from Aurora, winning at the buzzer on Tuesday to clinch a share of the South, and have posted five consecutive wins over the Spartans dating to the 2009-10 season. Benedictine ended Aurora's season last year with a 71-60 win at the Rice Center in the opening round of the conference tournament.