Time Runs Out for Griffin Comeback

St. Louis- William Barber's 34 points for Spalding gave Fontbonne little wiggle room for a comeback in the second half on Saturday. Barger made seven of nine three-point attempts and was 13-17 on the afternoon.

Fontbonne was up 17-8 six minutes into the game after Richard Dorhauer scored eight points. Dorhauer's eight points came from two treys and a jumper, making him 3-3 out of the gate. Fontbonne led 24-22 at the 7:24 minute mark in the first half when Barber scored 10 unanswered points to give Spalding a 30-24 advantage. A swift pass from Kody Ettinger and fancy inside maneuvering from Darius Rucker gave the Griffins a quick bucket before Spalding scored another 10 straight to lead 40-26.

Fontbonne came out of the half trailing 28-42. Back and forth scoring hindered any Griffin chances of a comeback until the Fontbonne bench cut the Golden Eagle lead to 10 with 3:48 remaining. Dorhauer's three-pointer at 1:43 put the Griffins down by six, forcing them to foul to stop the clock. Time ran out as Spalding managed to keep the 80-72 advantage.

Dorhauer finished with his season and career-high 22 points. Dorhauer connected on six three-point field goals, his highest of the season, but one shy of his game-high a year ago. This was the second time in the past three games that Dorhauer shot 50% from the arc.

Off the Bench, Chandler and Grant Tucker each scored career-highs of 10 points for Fontbonne. Tucker made both three-point attempts. Griffin Bryan DeGeare reeled in the game-high 10 rebounds on the afternoon.

Thomas Blakemore contributed in the win, scoring 21 points for Spalding. Taylor King blocked five of Spalding's six total blocks.

The Griffins travel to MacMurray Wednesday for an 8pm matchup and host Iowa Wesleyan on Saturday at 3pm.