March 11, 2015

EASTON, Pa. - Sophomore Nick Lindner won a battle of All-League point guards with 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting to lead the Lafayette men's basketball team to a Patriot League crown on Wednesday evening in Kirby Sports Center, 65-63.

"They're the defending champions. We knew it wasn't going to be easy," head coach Fran O'Hanlon said. "We rose to the challenge, hit some big shots, and pulled it out. I'm very proud of these guys and how hard they've worked to win this game."

A move in the lane from Second-Team All-League selection Pee Wee Gardner got Lafayette's lead, which had grown to as many 13, down to three with 8:22 to play, but Lindner's three at the end of the shot clock with seven minutes remaining pushed it back out to six, 53-47. Five back from Gardner made the lead just one at 53-52 out of a timeout and, after another Lafayette turnover, the Eagles took over the lead again on a drive from Marko Vasic at the 5:07 mark, 55-53.

Three from senior captain Seth Hinrichs at 4:30 gave the Leopards the lead again, 56-55, and a monster three from junior Zach Rufer with two minutes left put Lafayette up four, 59-55. A three from Gardner with 1:06 on the clock sent it to one at 61-60, but Lindner finished on another tough drive on the other end with 38 seconds left to push it to 63-60. On the ensuing possession, Schoof's three to tie it was off the mark and Rufer skied among the trees for a huge offensive board.

A pair of free throws from Lindner iced it with 13 seconds to play and a buzzer-beating three from Gardner finished off the game with a final score of 65-63.

The championship was the third for the Leopards all-time and the first time in league history a winner came from a team other than the top two seeds. Hinrichs joined Lindner as the only other Leopard in double-figure scoring with 16 points on the night.

Lafayette set Patriot League Tournament records in field-goal percentage (60.1%, 86-for-143) and three-pointers made (30) and its 64.9 percent from the floor on Wednesday was the highest ever in a championship game. The Leopards went 24-for-37 from the floor, 8-for-15 from three (53.3%) and 9-for-11 from the foul line (81.8%).

Lindner headed the All-Tournament team, named Tournament MVP during the trophy ceremony following the game. Senior Dan Trist and Hinrichs were also selected from Lafayette as All-Tournament Team selections, along with Bucknell's Chris Hass and American's Jesse Reed and Gardner.

An expected adrenaline-filled start opened the game for both sides as American connected on a pair of triples to take an 8-4 lead, but Joey Ptasinski's three at the 15:30 mark made it 8-7 into the opening media timeout. A run-out from Ptasinski in transition tied the game at the 13:30 mark, but a Schoof triple off a turnover put it back to 15-12 with 13 minutes left in the half.

An open shot from beyond the arc at the top of the key for Lindner at the 10:30 mark gave Lafayette its first lead of the game at 17-15. That bucket was part of an 11-0 run for the Maroon and White, who went into the under-eight timeout with a 23-15 advantage.

Six back from the Eagles on a pair of threes from Jones made it a two-point game at 23-21 with less than six minutes left in the half. A seven-point response from Lafayette made it a 30-21 game late in the half and the Leopards took a 34-25 advantage into the halftime break.

Lafayette came out of the break on fire as a Hoffman three at the 18-minute mark pushed the edge to 13 at 40-27. Seven back from the Eagles stifled the run, but Lafayette still went into the first intermission of the second half on top, 40-34.

The Leopards kept their lead between 7-10 points throughout the first eight minutes before a Hinrichs floater in the lane forced an American timeout at the 12-minute mark with Lafayette in front, 48-36. American responded, though, as nine of the next 11 went on their side of the board to pull within five at the nine-minute mark.

A move in the lane from Gardner got the lead to three with 8:22 to play, but Lindner's three at the end of the shot clock with seven minutes remaining pushed it back out to six, 53-47. Five back from Gardner made the lead just one at 53-52 out of a timeout and, after another Lafayette turnover, took over the lead again on a drive from Vasic at the 5:07 mark, 55-53.

Three from Hinrichs at 4:30 gave the Leopards the lead again, 56-55 and a monster three from Rufer with two minutes left put Lafayette up four, 59-55. A three from Gardner with 1:06 on the clock sent it to one at 61-60, but Lindner finished on another tough drive on the other end with 38 seconds left to push it to 63-60.

A pair of free throws from Lindner iced it with 13 seconds to play and a buzzer-beating three from Gardner finished off the game with a final score of 65-63.

Lafayette will discover its NCAA Tournament fate in the Selection Show on Sunday at 6 p.m. on CBS. A viewing party at Kirby Sports Center with coaches and players from the team will be open to the public, with doors opening at 5:30 on Sunday evening.