AU improved to 22-4, 11-1 NIIC with the victory and will take on a Benedictine team that they took on just one week ago, clinching the NIIC regular season crown with a 95-85 win at BU. The 2004-2005 NIIC tournament final will match up the same teams as one year ago, where BU posted a 74-70 win to earn the NIIC NCAA Tournament bid.
In tonight’s action, Aurora picked up their eighth consecutive win and 17th in the last 18 games. AU led 42-31 at halftime and held on to a furious Rockford second half comeback that had the Regents up 61-60 with 2:15 remaining in the contest. With the game knotted at 62 with one minute to play, Aurora freshman forward Larry Welton knocked down a jumper from five feet away to give AU a lead they would not relinquish.
Welton led with a game-high 22 points, six rebounds, and three blocked shots for Aurora, while Courtney Carson added 10 points, four assists, and three steals. Drew Gronau added eight points, nine rebounds and five assists, Jeremy Cartwright chipped in eight points, five rebounds, and four blocked shot, and Adam McCoyl netted eight points. The Spartans shot 48 percent from the field and out rebounded Rockford 37 to 35.
Maurice Lewers led Rockford with 18 points, six rebounds, and four assists, and Joel Carter added 14 points and five rebounds before fouling out of the contest. Rockford shot just 24 percent from three-point range, making only 7-of-29 shots from long range.
The NIIC tournament championship game is scheduled to tip-off at 3:00 p.m. in AU’s Thornton Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.