Urbana led wire-to-wire in the second half, but the Falcons’ furious effort at the buzzer nearly tied the game at 68. The visitors ended the game on a 17-9 run to erase a double digit deficit over the final six minutes. NDC’s Phil Biggs had a look from 3-point range with about 4 ticks left on the clock, but the shot clanged off the rim and the horn sounded before the Falcons could hoist another three.
The Blue Knights built their 12-point second half lead by knocking down 52.2% of their shots. Urbana out-rebounded the Falcons by 10, providing a 15-4 advantage on second chance points. Shouldering much of the load was senior forward Sharif Muhammad Jr. He followed his double-double against NDC two weeks ago with another one on Wednesday night. Muhammad Jr. finished with 18 points and 10 boards on 8 of 13 shooting. Sophomore guard Danny Goins got hot in the first half, knocking down 4 shots from downtown en route to 14 first half points. Goins finished with 18 on 6 of 9 shooting. The only other Blue Knight in double digits was senior forward Dyrell Dolson, who chipped in 10 in the win.
With the win, Urbana improves to 5-11 overall and 2-2 vs. the D-II Ohio Independents. The Falcons fall to 5-12 overall and 1-3 vs. the Ohio Independents. On Saturday night, the Blue Knights battle another Ohio Independent, traveling to Cedarville University (11-7, 3-1) for a men’s and women’s doubleheader beginning with the women’s game at 5:30 p.m.
