Fans were on the edge of their seats the entire game, as the two teams battled it out. Maryville took the lead first on a layup by sophomore Jason Rezabek, but the Beavers answered back with a bucket of their own to tie the game for the first of six times in the first half. The lead would also change hands a total of five times, but it was Blackburn that took the two-point lead going into halftime.
Maryville came out and immediately tied the game at 33-33 on a jumper by junior Ryan Klein to start the second half. Blackburn again answered, this time with an 8-0 run to take their largest lead of the game. The game would go back and forth after that, with nine lead changes and seven ties in the second half.
The Saints would take over at the end after junior Matt Regan hit a three-pointer from the corner to put Maryville up 70-69. Regan, Rezabek and senior Marcus Henderson would combine to make 5-of-6 free throws in the final 30 seconds of the game to help secure the victory.
Rezabek finished with a team-high 17 points and seven rebounds, as he hit 6-of-7 (.857) shots from the field and 5-of-7 (.714) from the charity stripe. Henderson tallied 13 points, six boards and three assists in the win, while Regan added 10 points, six rebounds and three steals.
Blackburn was led by Luka Djedovic with 28 points, including 11-of-14 (.786) from the free throw line. Nick Barnett recorded a game-high nine rebounds and also chipped in with 17 points. John Essington was the only other Beaver to score in double figures. He had 16 points, while shooting 2-of-3 (.667) from behind the arc.
The Saints, who remain in sole possession of first place in the SLIAC, will return to action this Saturday, January 22, when they travel to Jacksonville, IL, to take on the Highlanders of MacMurray College in a 3:00 pm game.
Newspaper Box Score Blackburn vs Maryville (Mo.) 01/19/05 6:00 pm at Moloney Arena (St. Louis, Mo.) At Moloney Arena (St. Louis, Mo.) MARYVILLE (MO.) 75, BLACKBURN 69 BLACKBURN (8-7, 2-2) Djedovic, Luka 7-15 11-14 28; Barnett, Nick 8-11 1-2 17; Essington, John 7-16 0-1 16; Waters, Corey 1-4 0-1 3; Stevens, Todd 1-5 0-0 3; Barnett, James 1-1 0-0 2; Jones, Dee 0-2 0-0 0; Maddox, Matt 0-1 0-0 0; McWhorter, Jake 0-2 0-1 0. Totals 25-57 12-19 69. MARYVILLE (MO.) (7-8, 4-0) Rezabek, Jason 6-7 5-7 17; Henderson, Marcus 5-8 2-2 13; Regan, Matt 2-7 5-6 10; Capps, Mat 2-6 2-4 8; Turpen, Mike 3-7 0-0 8; Klein, Ryan 1-6 3-4 5; Hebl, Ben 2-6 0-0 5; Hulbert, Andrew 2-2 1-1 5; Elwell, Tim 1-3 0-0 3; Holland, Casey 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-53 19-26 75. Blackburn..................... 33 36 - 69 Maryville (Mo.)............... 31 44 - 75 3-point goals-Blackburn 7-19 (Djedovic, Luka 3-6; Essington, John 2-3; Waters, Corey 1-4; Stevens, Todd 1-5; McWhorter, Jake 0-1), Maryville (Mo.) 8-26 (Turpen, Mike 2-5; Capps, Mat 2-6; Regan, Matt 1-3; Hebl, Ben 1-4; Elwell, Tim 1-2; Henderson, Marcus 1-3; Holland, Casey 0-1; Klein, Ryan 0-2). Fouled out--Blackburn-None, Maryville (Mo.)-Klein, Ryan. Rebounds-Blackburn 30 (Barnett, Nick 9), Maryville (Mo.) 38 (Rezabek, Jason 7). Assists-Blackburn 11 (Essington, John 3; Stevens, Todd 3), Maryville (Mo.) 11 (Henderson, Marcus 3). Total fouls-Blackburn 21, Maryville (Mo.) 23. A-383