Green Knights Get Late Stop to Hold On Over Knox

From Sports Information Director, January 14, 2012 | Men's Basketball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE - St. Norbert College got an impressive defensive stop on the final possession of the game to eke out a 60-58 win over Knox College in a Midwest Conference game on Connie Tilley Court at Schuldes Sports Center.

The Green Knights (9-5, 6-3 MWC) won their third consecutive game and their eighth in a row over Knox (3-11, 2-7).

St. Norbert seemingly had a comfortable 58-51 lead with 1 minute 39 seconds left following a pair of Andy Fox free throws. Knox's Ben Wetherbee canned a 3-pointer 8 seconds later, and the Prairie Fire's Lukas Shaw hit a layup with 48 seconds left to trim the deficit down to 58-56. St. Norbert's Andrew Schwoerer then hit a leaner with 18 seconds to go for a 60-56 edge.

Knox's Tanner Carlson then hit a pair of free throws with 13 seconds left, and St. Norbert's Jack Whalen went to the line with 11.2 seconds left. Whalen missed the front end of the 1-and-1, but Knox couldn't get a shot off on the game's final possession. St. Norbert's Andy Fox denied Knox's Ben Wetherbee - who had five 3-pointers in the game - a shot. An entry pass to Shaw in the post came too late and time expired.

St. Norbert pulled out the win despite shooting 38.3 percent from the floor, making just 23 of 60 shots. Paul Appleton led St. Norbert with 16 points, while Schwoerer had 11 and Whalen 10. The Green Knights held a 40-33 rebounding advantage and had just six turnovers.

Knox was led by Wetherbee's 17 points. Shaw finished with 14, while Carlson and Joe Kozak had 10 apiece. The Prairie Fire shot 43.8 percent from the floor, making 21 of 48 from the floor.