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 I 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