Finlandia men win consolation game
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Finlandia's men's basketball team rallied from 10 points down with 7:25 to play to defeat North Central University 75-72 Saturday and finish third in the Northwestern College Tip-Off Tournament.
The Lions got big scoring days from more than just ace Tyler Gordon. Gordon led all scorers with 22 points, but Anthony Grandberry kicked in 20 on 9-of-14 shooting and Ruel Caldwell added 16.
The game had been a see-saw battle from the outset, and momentum swung firmly behind North Central midway through the second half with a 13-2 run that made it 65-55 with 7:25 to go.
However, Finlandia (1-2) cut the deficit to six on back-to-back lay-ups by Kyle Smith, then surged forward to tie it with the help of six points from Gordon and a Grandberry lay-up. Gordon's 3-point play tied it at 67 with 4:12 left.
Caldwell drilled a vital triple with 1:16 to play that put Finlandia up for good, 73-72. North Central missed jumpers on its last two possessions, and the Lions pulled down the rebounds and locked it up at the foul line.
Finlandia overcame being outshot 42.6 percent to 39.4 percent and being outrebounded 48-43. North Central also had more assists (19-12) but more turnovers (19-13).
Finlandia will play at Lakeland Tuesday.








