FOND DU LAC – Pat McDonald (Jr.-Port Washington, Wis.) hit the go-ahead shot with seven seconds left in the second extra session and the Lakeland University men's basketball team defeated Marian University 78-76 in two overtimes Saturday evening at Marian's Sadoff Gymnasium.

The Muskies sweated out potential winning shot attempts by the Sabres at the end of regulation and in both overtimes to earn a big road win in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play. Lakeland improved to 7-3 overall on the season and is now 4-3 in the NACC.

Trailing by three points after Marian's Alex Manhardt completed a three-point play with 2 minutes, 59 seconds left in the second overtime, the Muskies did not surrender another field goal the rest of the way. Lakeland tied the score when Shakur Jinad (So.-Chicago, Ill.) split a pair of free throws with 1:22 left, and McDonald's basket late in the shot clock put the Muskies up two in the final seconds.

Lakeland then escaped a precarious situation as the Sabres' Tavaris McCullough was fouled while attempting a three-pointer with one second left. He missed all three free throw attempts, though, capping a day in which Marian (2-7 overall, 2-3 NACC) made just 12 of 28 foul shots (42.9%).

Neither team built a double-digit lead at any point in a game that was close the entire way and included 12 ties and 10 lead changes. Six of the ties and four lead changes came in the final minute of regulation and in the overtimes, including Marian rallying at the end of regulation and the first overtime.

Lakeland led by five after Carlos Campos (So.-Janesville, Wis.) made two free throws to make the score 62-57 with 1:53 left in regulation, but the Sabres' Kelvin Jones hit a three-pointer and then two free throws to tie the game. Marian had a chance to win in regulation but Joshuan McNeal (Sr.-Chicago, Ill.) swatted away McCullough's drive at the buzzer.

The Muskies got the early jump and never trailed in the first overtime, but the Sabres closed it up at the end of that period, too. Marian tied it when Manhardt made the first of two free throws with nine seconds left, and after a Lakeland turnover the Sabres had another shot to win it but Tyrese Pinson's three-pointer at the buzzer missed.

The Muskies led 31-24 at halftime, pulling ahead late after trailing most of the opening 20 minutes. Their lead swelled to nine early in the second half, but Marian quickly came back to tie it and set the stage for a back-and-forth tussle down the stretch.

McNeal led Lakeland with 18 points and also added seven rebounds. Zach Hasenstein (Fr.-Sheboygan, Wis.) scored 13 points and posted a team-high nine rebounds, and both Campos and Jinad added 12 points each. The Muskies shot 40.9% for the game (27 of 66) and made 7 of 21 from three-point range (33.3%).

Manhardt finished with 27 points and 19 rebounds to lead Marian, which shot 38.5% (30 of 78).

The Muskies next will face Northland College for a non-conference game on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in Ashland, Wis.