With an 81-63 victory on Wednesday evening on Lancaster Court in Thornton Gymnasium the Aurora University Spartans claimed a top two seed and first-round bye in the upcoming Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament. Couple the win with a loss by rival Benedictine University, the Spartans can claim at least a share of the 2017-2018 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Championship with a win on Senior Day on Saturday afternoon.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE:  Aurora University 81; Dominican University 63
LOCATION: Aurora, Illinois – Lancaster Court in Thornton Gymnasium
RECORDS: Aurora University 16-8; 15-4 NACC; Dominican University 5-19; 3-16 NACC
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- AU opened an 8-2 lead on six points from Max Vickers and forced a Dominican timeout with 15:25 on the game clock.
- Just one minute later, AU led by two, 8-6 but a three from Matt Dunn started a 21-4 Spartan run which was fueled by the AU defense.
- After the Stars got the Spartans lead down to 14, 29-15, the AU defense picked back up and another run, this one 10-0 ensued.
- AU would take a 24-point lead into halftime at 45-21.
- A pair of Dunn free throws have AU the games largest lead of 26 points just seconds into the second-half.
- Dominican took advantage of a stagnant AU offense to reel off a 20-5 run and get within 11 (52-41) with 11:16 to go.
- The Spartans showed their heart on Valentine's Day though as they never allowed the lead to get inside single digits though with the smallest lead in the second-half being 10 points twice.
- Leading 68-58 with 3:53 to go in the game, AU ran off an 11-2 run to go up 19 with 1:57 to play, 79-60. Four Spartans scored in the run led by five from Vickers.
- The Spartans once again attacked the hoop and used defensive pressure to fuel the run that sealed the game.
- AU would win by a final score of 81-63.
 
FOR THE SPARTANS
- Max Vickers had a game-high 29 points on 12-of-15 shooting from the field and had nine rebounds.
- Marcus Myers had 25 points, five rebounds and five assists.
- Matt Dunn had 12 points, seven assists and seven rebounds.
 
SPARTAN STAT LEADERS
POINTS: Max Vickers (29) and Marcus Myers (25)
REBOUNDS: Max Vickers (9) and Matt Dunn (7)
ASSISTS: Matt Dunn (7) and Marcus Myers (5)
STEALS: Matt Dunn and Marcus Myers (2)
 
UP NEXT
Next action for the Spartan men's basketball team comes on Saturday, February 17 when they host Marian University. Game time is set for 2:00 p.m. in Thornton Gymnasium with senior day recognition taking place prior to game time.