CUW edges Lakeland 79-75

Howards Grove

Concordia's seemingly comfortable 44-31 halftime lead disappeared but Matt Paluchniak's driving layup broke a 75-75 tie and Cory Stark's free throws as time expired gave CUW a 79-75 win over Lakeland last evening.

The never-quit Muskies (12-10 overall) shot 60% in the second twenty minutes to overcome the deficit and make a game of it.

Shawn Cassidy's team had ridden 57% marksmanship and stiffling defense to create the big halftime gap, but it was the Falcons who were turning the ball over and being outrebounded after halftime.

Luke Doedens led CUW (19-3) with 23 points on 9-14 shooting but Paluchniak's layup was the biggest basket of the night. Lakeland missed a rushed 3 point attempt after Paluchniak scored and Stark hit two free throws to seal the deal with less than one second remaining.

"We were poised at the end and battled adversity against a good team on the road," said Cassidy. Lakeland had 5 players in double figures but fell to 7-7 in NAC play while Concordia remained undefeated (14-0) and clinched the North Division title.