The Beavers held onto their position in the conference and sit 1.5 games back of the playoffs after they defeated the Fontbonne Griffins 81-80 at home. The day was not without much stress for the home team though, as they struggled to hold onto their 10 point lead at the 12:05 mark in the second half. Blackburn held a 67-57 lead thanks to a Will Pearce (0) jumper in the paint. The visiting team proceeded to go on a tear and outscored the Beavers 20-9 over the next 10 minutes to take a lead (77-76) on free throws with 2:07 remaining in the game. Coach Kollar was able to rally his team to score 5 in the final time frame that started with a beautiful reverse step layup by Jamaya Wyatt (21) in the post. The capper and game winning shot came from the unbelievably hot Bryson Kirby (4) who seared a nothing-but-net dagger into the Griffins that gave the Beavers a 81-77 lead. Kirby has been a staple for the Beavers shooting game this season and continues to prove his worth as a top 15 sharpshooter in the country, going for 17 points today on only 10 attempted shots. That was not the very end of the game, though, as the visitors got the game to 80-81 and forced the Beavers to inbound into a stiff defense. The inbound pass was slightly to short for Karson Hayes (2) as he tried to bring it down like a wide receiver with a defender pressed on his back. The ball carumed violently backwards into the hands of the Griffin offense. The Beaver defense stood up though and the final shot of the game came well after the game buzzer. The Beavers will look to continue this hot streak on Wednesday, January 9th, when they take on Webster who currently sits tied for the lead in the conference. 

By the Numbers:

• Leading Scorers
  1. Karson Hayes (2) 21 pts.-Blackburn
  2. Bryson Kirby (4) 17 pts.-Blackburn
  3. Kris McCann (43) 13 pts.-Fontbonne
  4. Jared Woodcock (23) 12 pts.-Fontbonne
• Leading Distributers:
  1. Raushaun Amos (1) 4 ast.-Blackburn, Duncan King (11) 4 ast.-Blackburn
  2. Karson Hayes (2) 3 ast.-Blackburn, Caden Clark (2) 3 ast.-Fontbonne, Gus Kleekamp (32) 3 ast.
• Leading Rebounders:
  1. Cristian Wagner (14) 8 reb.-Blackburn, Jared Woodcock (23) 8 reb.-Fontbonne
  2. Jamaya Wyatt (21) 5 reb.-Blackburn
• Leading Shooters (3 pta):
  1. Bryson Kirby (4) 5 of 9-Blackburn
  2. Duncan King (11) 3 of 5-Blackburn
  3. Karson Hayes (2) 3 of 7-Blackburn

Game Deciding Stats: The Beavers made 6 more 3s and won the rebound battle by 12 boards