Men's Basketball Drops Season Finale to Gray Wolves

Men's Basketball Drops Season Finale to Gray Wolves
February 24, 2024

(Lansing, MI)-- The Cleary Cougar men's basketball team fought valiantly, but couldn't get over the hump, as they fell to the visiting and nationally ranked Lourdes Gray Wolves 78-62 Saturday afternoon in Lansing.

The Gray Wolves started the game strong, as they went on a 17-4 run in the opening five minutes of action.  Cleary would respond, when Chris Williams scored four straight points, and AJ Hess hit a free throw, and Brockton Kohler hit a three to cut the Lourdes lead to seven points.  Lourdes would go on another run minutes later to extend the lead back to double-digits, but the Cougars finished the half strong, and went on a 7-2 run before the break to make it 38-29 in favor of Lourdes at the break.

Cleary would come out of the gates strong to start the second half, as Jaylen Cole-Williams hit a pair of triples to cut the Lourdes lead to three points.  After a Lourdes three point basket, Cleary would get the lead to four thanks to a dunk by Chris Williams.  The deficit would stay at four points for a couple possessions, but the Gray Wolves would start to pull away, and had rebuilt their double-digit lead by the 13:00 minute mark of the second half.  The lead would grow for the Gray Wolves, but the Cougars fought back down the stretch, but the lead was too great to overcome, as Cleary fell 78-62.

Bennie Crenshaw Jr. led CU with 15 points and 4 assists in the game.  Chris Williams would add 12 points and 5 rebounds.  Jaylen Cole-Williams had 9 points and 2 steals.

Cleary finishes the regular season 3-24, 3-19 in the WHAC.