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TIFFIN, Ohio – Ethan Snapp poured in a career-high 23 points Friday, including a clutch 3-pointer to force overtime, but it wasn't enough for Urbana men's basketball in a 110-104 setback to GLIAC-member Purdue Northwest.
UU (0-4) will now play Carlow (NAIA) in the third-place game of the Tiffin Thanksgiving Tournament Saturday at noon ET.
The Blue Knights had five players reach double figures, including Snapp,
Matt Treacy (20),
Malik Jacobs (18),
Jordan Bradley (12) and
Hadley LeVan (10). Treacy and Jacobs led the team in rebounds with eight, while Bradley dished out a team-high seven assists.
UU shot 61 percent in the first half and overcame an early 10-point deficit to grab the lead right before halftime. Snapp's layup with under two minutes put the Blue Knights ahead 47-44, but the Pride countered with a late spurt to move ahead 50-49 at the break.
Purdue Northwest (2-2) forced 13 of UU's 21 turnovers in the first half and outscored the Blue Knights 35-12 in points off turnovers.
The Blue Knights came roaring out of the halftime break with highlight dunks from
Nick Detlev and
Mike Ryan as the teams continued to trade blows.
Snapp put the Blue Knights ahead 61-59 with a layup just before the under-15 media timeout, and then Ryan gave UU a 69-68 edge on a put-back layup with just over 10 minutes left.
However, that was the last lead for the Blue Knights on the day.
Purdue Northwest went ahead by eight on a 3-pointer with 3:53 left, but then a quick 6-0 run with back-to-back layups from Bradley and a dunk by Jacobs sliced the deficit to two, 90-88, with 1:29 remaining.
Down three in the final seconds, Snapp delivered a clutch 3-pointer to even the score at 93-93. Then, Snapp made a game-saving foul at the defensive end and with 0.4 left, PNW's Durante Lee missed both free throws to send the game to overtime.
PNW opened the extra period with a 7-0 run to move ahead, 100-93. Then, Treacy and Jacobs layups made it a three-point game with a minute to go, but that was as close as UU could get. The Blue Knights were outscored 17-11 during the additional five minutes.
Dean Tate led six players in double figures for the Pride with a game-high 25 points. Timothy Gilmore knocked down 6 of 8 from beyond the arc to finish with 19 points. PNW drilled 12 treys while shooting 46 percent from deep.
UU shot a season-high 56 percent (41-73) while limiting PNW to 50-percent shooting overall. The Blue Knights outscored the Pride 58-44 on points in the paint.
// UP NEXT
UU takes on Carlow at noon Saturday inside the Gilmore Student Center on Tiffin's Campus. The Blue Knights and Celtics have never met on the hardwood. Carlow suffered a 142-81 defeat to Tiffin in Friday's nightcap.
