Bethany Lutheran 72, UW-Superior 71
MANKATO, Minn. (February 10, 2018) – The 'Jackets made the trip to Bethany Lutheran Saturday, a team that they upset earlier in the season; the game swayed the same way, but Superior couldn't pull out the win.
A steal and two free throws from Shaq Coleman (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East) helped Superior their first points at 18:35 of the first half, followed by a Vid Milenkovic (Zurich, Switzerland/DSB Belgrade, Serbia) 3-pointer about two minutes later to get five points on the board. The Vikings then answered with a three of their own to make it 11-5. Nate Kalien (Chippewa Falls, Wis./Chippewa Falls) found his first points of the game from long range at 15:06, assisted by Milenkovic to quickly cut the lead to one point.
The teams continued to answer baskets back-and-forth until Bethany Lutheran went on a small run, getting their lead to 29-12 at 9:28. Scores from Colton Williams (Columbia Heights, Minn. /Columbia Heights) and Andrew McGill (St. Germain, Wis./Lakeland Union) helped Superior get back in the groove, down 13, and Coleman would add a few layups and free throws to finish the half. The Yellowjackets were down 16 points.
The comeback started on the first bucket of the second half for the Jackets; Kalien hit the open three to make it 43-33. Superior would then open a 12-2 run that included a Mac Reykdal (Washburn, Wis./Washburn) 3-pointer and a Coleman layup to get the score to 50-42.
The Yellowjackets then found themselves down 10 points with just around five minutes remaining, a pair of Milenkovic free throws would help start another run. A 13-5 run insued that was capped by two Milenkovic 3-pointers to make it 67-64 with 1:39 remaining.
A rare Coleman three would keep the 'Jackets within three points with 31 seconds left on the clock. Two clutch free throws from Milenkovic then made it a two point game at the 16-second mark, and a defensive stop and two Coleman points would get it to just one with eight ticks left on the clock.
With four seconds left, the 'Jackets were forced to foul, and an intentionally missed free throw from the Vikings would seal the contest.
Coleman let all scorers with 28 points, while adding five rebounds and five assists to his line. Milenkovic finished with a double-double, scoring 20 points and getting 10 boards. Kalien was another 'Jacket to finish with double-digit points, dropping 11 on 50 percent shooting.
The Vikings finished with three players in the double-digit scoring column.
Superior will play their final contest of the season when they host North Central University this Saturday, Feb. 17, at 3 p.m. in the Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium.
