CHICAGO, IL - The Benedictine University men's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker on the final day of the regular season as Illinois Tech hit a three just before the final buzzer to steal a win.

FINAL SCORE
Illinois Tech 69, Benedictine 68

THE DETAILS
- Illinois Tech led by double figures just past the halfway point of the half at 27-17
- Benedictine clamped down on defense and pulled within a single point at 32-29 on a three from Mark Blaszczyk with 5:30 left in the first
- Two free throws from Nick Kosich in the final 10 seconds brought Benedictine within 39-37 at the break
- Jeff Kratz tied the game at 43 early in the second half by knocking down a jumper
- Marvin Agwomoh put Benedictine ahead 46-45 with a basket at the 14:05 mark
- The teams consistently traded the lead until Benedictine used a 10-0 run to jump in front 62-53 on a triple from Kratz with 6:24 left
- Another three from Kratz put Benedictine up 65-55 with 4:34 remaining
- The hosts ripped off seven straight before a three from Trevor Montiel with 2:10 to go made the score 68-62
- Benedictine did not score again and following a missed free throw and a timeout, Illinois Tech hit a three just before the buzzer to steal the win
- The contest featured three ties and 12 lead changes
- The lost cost Benedictine a chance at a share of the conference title

STAT LEADERS
- Benedictine shot 52 percent in the game
- Montiel scored a game high 22 points, hitting all three attempts from beyond the arc
- Agwomoh logged 15 and Kratz tallied 10
- Benedictine held a 23-21 edge on the glass

UP NEXT
Benedictine (11-12, 10-7 NACC) will be the seventh seed in the conference tournament and host Lakeland on Saturday night.