FOND DU LAC – Zach Van Engen (Jr.-Sheboygan Falls, Wis.) made two free throws with 4.3 seconds left for the winning points as the Lakeland College men's basketball team edged Marian University 69-68 Tuesday night at Sadoff Gymnasium.

Van Engen scored all 14 of his points in the second half, including ten in the final five minutes of the game. His final two helped the Muskies continue their late season surge with their third straight win.

Lakeland improved to 15-8 overall and 11-7 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference and took another step towards clinching a home game in the quarterfinals of the NACC Tournament. The Muskies can clinch a home game with wins in their final two regular season games or at least a victory in their regular season finale against Edgewood College.

The game's final minute was filled with drama, capped by a pair of lead changes in the final 12 seconds. The Sabres tied the game at 64-64 on a tip-in by Brandon McCullum with 53 seconds left, but Joey Burris (Sr.-Kiel, Wis.) hit a three-pointer to give Lakeland a 67-64 lead with 36 seconds remaining.

McCullum scored again on a layup with 24 seconds left, and the Muskies then committed a turnover to give the ball back to the Sabres (10-13 overall, 9-9 NACC). Marian's Drew Binversie was then fouled with 12 seconds left, and he converted both free throws to give the hosts a 68-67 lead.

Lakeland came right down after the made foul shots and Van Engen was able to draw a foul and then hit both free throws to take the lead back. The Sabres had one final shot but Josh Creed missed a three-pointer at the buzzer.

The Muskies came out on top in a game that featured ten ties and ten lead changes, in large part due to both Van Engen and Burris. While Van Engen carried the offense late, Burris put the team on his back most of the game before then and finished with 26 points as well as six rebounds and five assists.

Burris scored 15 of Lakeland's 27 points in the first half as the Muskies went to the locker room trailing 29-27, and for the game he made 9 of 13 shots, including 5 of 8 from three-point range. His assist on a short jumper by Tanner Hackl (Jr.-West De Pere, Wis.) also gave Lakeland its biggest lead of the game at 44-31 with 11:42 left in the second half, a lead it would hold on three other occasions over the next two minutes before the Sabres began to rally.

The Muskies shot 53.3% from the field (24 of 45), though their 45 attempts was their lowest total of the season. Lakeland also made an equal percentage from three-point range (8 of 15) and was 13 of 16 from the free throw line (81.3%). Burris and Van Engen were the only two to score in double figures, while Kurt Jansen (Sr.-Wrightstown, Wis.) also added nine points.

Marian shot 44.1% (26 of 59) and was led by McCullum with 19 points, one of four players in double figures. The Sabres hurt themselves greatly at the free throw line, making just 11 of 22 (50.0%).

Lakeland next will be home Saturday night when it hosts Benedictine University at 8:15 p.m. at the Woltzen Gymnasium.