INDIANAPOLIS - The Marian University men's basketball team opened a 15-point lead over Saint Ambrose University, but could not hold off the Fighting Bees as they fell in the final seconds, 66-63, in the championship game of the 11th annual Ken Elmendorf Memorial Tournament on Saturday afternoon at the Physical Education Center.

The two teams went back-and-forth for the first 8:06 before the Knights, with the score 14-12, out-scored the Bees 28-15 over the final 11:54 to take a 15-point lead, 42-27, into the locker room at halftime. It looked as if the Knights might cruise to the title.

However, the Bees opened the second half with a 6-0 run to cut the lead to nine, 44-35, with 15:35 remaining in the game. A three-pointer by sophomore Jameson Wheeler (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) put the Knights back up 12, 47-35, with 15:07 to go. It was at that point the Knights went cold from the field.

Saint Ambrose went on a 11-2 run over the next 3:31 to cut the lead to three, 49-46. The Knights went in front by eight, 56-48, with 7:01 to go. But, the Bees out-scored the Knights, 13-6, over the next 4:57 to cut the lead to one, 62-61, with 2:04 to go.

The Knights could only hit one-of-two free throws with 1:40 left to take a two-point lead, 63-61, but an SAU layup knotted the score line, 63-63, with 1:16 remaining.

A missed Marian University jumper with 50 seconds to go gave the Bees an opportunity to hit a late shot to take the lead. They did just that with a three-pointer at the top of the key to take a 66-63 lead with 20 seconds to tick away.

The Knights had two opportunities to tie the game in the final 20 seconds, but could not hit a three-pointer as SAU completed the comeback, 66-63, victory. The Bees are just the second team to win the Elmendorf Tournament title in its 11-year history.

After blistering the net in the first half by hitting 53 percent (17-for-32) of their shots, the Knights shot just 26 percent (7-for-27) in the second half. They also shot just 47 percent (8-for-17) from the free throw line including just 5-for-12 in the second half. Saint Ambrose shot 53 percent (16-for-30) in the second half and went 11-for-14 from the free throw line.

Sophomore Alex Sylvester (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian) finished with a team-high 18 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Junior Matt Allee (Greenwood, Ind./Greenwood) scored nine points and had seven rebounds, while junior Jordan Tucker (Kirklin, Ind./Clinton Central) added 11 points.

Allee and Sylvester were both named to the All-Tournament team for their performances in the two games.

The Knights open the 2009-10 Mid-Central College Conference season on Tuesday when Spring Arbor University comes to the Physical Education Center. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m., and the game will air LIVE at www.muknights.com. LIVE STATISTICS will also be provided at www.muknights.com.

All-Tournament Team
Matt Allee	Marian University
Alex Sylvester	Marian University
Bryce Davis	Saint Ambrose University
Chris Donnelly (MVP)	Saint Ambrose University
Will Bruinsma	Trinity Christian College
Ben Werner	IU-South Bend