Pride pull off second half comeback to earn narrow victory over MidAmerica Nazarene

DUBUQUE, Iowa - Searching for their first three-game winning streak of the season, the Clarke University men's basketball team was able to do just that as they clutched out a 75-73 win over MidAmerica Nazarene on Saturday night at the Kehl Center.

It wasn't looking to be the case to earn a third consecutive win as they trailed by as many as 14 in the second half at a 62-48 Pioneer lead with 8:51 on the clock but the Pride went on a 17-2 run that included an 11-0 run after being down 64-54 to take a 65-64 lead with 5:11 remaining in the game.

After MNU briefly regained the lead by another one-point margin, a big three point make from Keith Johnson made it a 68-66 CU advantage that they were able to extend and keep behind Jordan Lake free throws.

Now with under a minute to go, the Pioneers hit a clutch three pointer to tie the game at 73-73 as Jake Alexander tied the game as the Pride would look to their point guard, Lake, to make a play in the final moments.

Coming out of a timeout, Lake drove the baseline and appeared to be trapped near the paint when the whistle sounded and a reaching foul was called on MNU's Anthony Brown to send Lake to the free throw line for two shots. Lake knocked down both shots and was able to switch on a screen to defend Cameron Brady's final shot attempt that would have won the game, as CU came up with the narrow two-point victory.

The free throw line was an asset for Clarke just three days after shooting a tough 15-of-26 (57.7%) on Wednesday in their win against Grand View as they only missed three shots from the foul line on Saturday to go 22-of-25 (88.0%) in their win.

Lake led the Pride in scoring with 17 points and added nine assists, one shy of a double-double and two shy of breaking the all-time record for career assists at Clarke. Jacob Fierst (15), Johnson (15), and Biggie Luster (14) all added double figures for the Pride with Fierst racking up another double-double with 10 rebounds and Luster grabbing eight rebounds himself, five on the offensive glass.

There was a reason Brady had the ball in his hands in the final moments for the Pioneers as he led all scorers with 22 points, only missing one three point attempt over the rest of the game before that final miss as he finished with a double-double himself at 10 rebounds as well.

Clarke men's basketball will take their winning streak into their toughest test of the season so far when they host No. 5 ranked William Penn University on Wednesday, Jan. 12 for a 7:30 p.m. CT scheduled tip at the Kehl Center.