Jeff Mikos (Lake Zurich, Ill. / Lake Zurich) kept MSOE in the game during the first half, scoring 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting. However, the Raiders trailed 36-29 at the half.
“We got tense in the first half when shots didn’t fall,” MSOE coach Brian Miller said.
The team seemed to relax following an emotional ceremony at halftime to honor the two seniors, Jeff Mikos and Floyd Bayiha. Both players received a standing ovation and were given plaques containing their home jerseys to commemorate their careers at MSOE.
The Raiders began the second half with a 13-0 run and opened up a 42-36 lead with 16:18 remaining.
Sophomore forwards Jake Gay (New Lenox, Ill. / Lincoln Way Central) and Scott Murphy (Sheboygan, Wis. / South) combined for 11 of the 13 Raider points during the run.
“I haven’t been shooting well lately, so it felt good to hit some big shots and help the team,” Gay said after the game. “We wanted to play hard for Jeff and Floyd tonight. They gave us a lot this season and they will be missed.”
Dominican would battle back midway through the second half to tie the game at 50, but the Raiders used another big run of 13-4 with 2:52 remaining to seal the win.
The run was highlighted by the hustle of Bayiha. He turned the ball over at the free throw line and hustled all the way to the other end of the court to block a lay up. The play was reminiscent of the block by Tayshaun Prince of the Pistons against the Pacers in the NBA Playoffs last season.
“Jeff and I are the emotional leaders of the team. We played with more energy in the second half, a lot of hustle plays, and the rest of team feeds off that. We need to play that way more consistently,” Bayiha said.
Bayiha scored 12 points in the second half and finished with 14, including 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. He also had six steals and four assists.
The men’s basketball team clinched the second seed in the Lake Michigan Conference with the win. Lakeland College clinched the LMC regular season championship and the top seed in the tournament with its win over Maranatha Baptist tonight.
The Raiders (17-7, 10-3 in LMC) finish the season on Saturday afternoon at Lakeland (19-5, 12-1 in LMC). MSOE will be aiming to avenge a 15 point loss that it suffered to Lakeland at the Kern Center last week.
“You never want to end the regular season with a loss and we need to build momentum heading into the conference tournament,” Mikos said. “A win against Lakeland next week will give us that momentum.”