From Case Western Reserve University Athletics
Graduate student guard Mitch Prendergast knocked down a three-pointer with 18.9 seconds left to give the 21st-ranked Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team a 75-74 win over 22nd-ranked Washington University (Mo.) on Friday night in St. Louis. The win gives the Spartans sole possession of first place in the University Athletic Association standings with two games remaining in the regular season.
With the win, the Spartans improved to 19-3 overall and to 9-3 in the UAA, setting program records for regular season wins and UAA wins in a campaign. The Spartans also extended their winning streak to seven-straight games, the longest UAA winning streak in program history. CWRU now has a one-game lead over the Bears in the UAA standings and holds the tiebreaker for the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with the sweep of the season series. Carnegie Mellon is two games back of CWRU with a 7-5 UAA record following a loss to Chicago on Friday.
CWRU can secure at least a share of the first UAA Championship in program history and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a win in either of its final two games.
The win was the Spartans' first on the road against the Bears since the 2015 season and gave CWRU its first-ever sweep of the season series against WashU. The Bears dropped to 17-6 overall and to 8-4 in the UAA following the loss.
Prendergast knocked down the game-winning three from the wing with a hand in his face to give CWRU a one-point lead with just under 19 seconds left on the clock, capping off a season-high matching 29-point performance. WashU had one possession left to try to regain the lead, but the Bears' Charlie Jacob missed a layup, and the Spartans were able to run out the remaining time on the clock.
Prendergast shot nine-of-15 overall in the game, including four-of-eight from three-point range, and added five rebounds and two steals. Senior forward Cole Frilling scored 11 with seven rebounds and a team-high three assists. Sophomore forward Umar Rashid came off the bench to score 12 with a team-leading eight rebounds and sophomore guard Sam Trunley added 10 points
WashU jumped out to a quick start on Friday, leading by as many as 12 points. However, the Spartans weathered the storm and took their first lead of the game at 31-29 on a three-pointer by Prendergast with three minutes left in the first half, before the Bears grabbed a 36-35 lead by the half.
WashU remained ahead for most of the second half, but CWRU battled back again and took its first lead of the second half, 67-66, putback off an offensive rebound by Frilling with 4:25 left in the game. Bears answered back with four straight points to go ahead 70-67, but CWRU remained close, and Prendergast tied the game on a layup with 43 seconds left, 72-72. The Bears' Kevin Davet answered with a two off a timeout to give WashU a 74-72 lead with 35.1 seconds left, but Prendergast was able to respond with the game-winning three just 17 seconds later.