LINCOLN, Neb. -- It was a thrilling finish to the 27th Annual NWU Men's Basketball Snyder Classic as Nebraska Wesleyan rallied back to earn a 107-102 victory in overtime over Central College on Saturday night (Nov. 28) at Snyder Arena in Lincoln.

NWU improves to 5-2 on the season after scoring 100 points in six straight games, while Central suffers their first loss of the season to fall to 4-1 overall.

With the game tied at 93-93, the Prairie Wolves had the ball with 17 seconds left.  Trey Bardsley got a clear out play but his floating layup was no good and Central pulled down the rebound with 2.1 seconds left.  After a timeout, the Dutch inbounded the ball but the second pass was deflected to send the game to overtime.

The teams traded baskets to start overtime as only two points were scored the first 2:30 of extra time.  Travis Giesselmann connected on a pair of free throws with 2:32 remaining to put NWU up 97-95.  A turnover on the other end gave the Prairie Wolves the ball and freshman Ryan Garver drove the basket to make a layup and he was fouled.  He missed the free throw allowing Central to cut the lead back to two.

NWU hit five consecutive free throws to go up 104-97 and they never looked back. Central cut the lead to 105-102 with nine seconds left, but Bardsley sealed the victory with two more free throws.

Things looked bleak early for the Prairie Wolves as they fell behind by as many as 19 points in the first half.  NWU chipped away and cut the lead to 47-37 at intermission.

In the second half, NWU would go on small runs but the Dutch would answer behind the play of Colby Taylor.  Taylor finished with a tournament record 42 points in the game and hit 16-24 from the field.  Each time the Prairie Wolves cut the lead to six, Central got back up by 10.  

Over a stretch of two minutes from 9:38-7:29, the Prairie Wolves went on a 8-0 run to cut the lead down to two points at 74-72.  Central didn't welt and maintained the lead until just under five minutes remaining as Max Cook made a pair of free throws to tie the game at 80-80.  Bardsley then went coast to coast for a layup and the first lead of the game. 

Central got back ahead and held a 89-87 advantage with 1:32 remaining after a layup by Pete Walker.  NWU came down the court and had one of the most exciting 10 seconds stretches of the season.  Bardsley drilled a 3-pointer to put NWU ahead 90-89, then stole the inbounds pass and hit another 3-pointer for the 93-89 lead.  Central got a layup and two free throws that would eventually send the game to OT.

Bardsley was named the MVP of the Snyder Classic as he finished with 37 points in the game and had 73 for the 2-day classic to set a new record.  He was 5-12 from 3-point range and a perfect 8-8 at the foul line.

Joining Bardsley on the All-Classic team was Travis Giesselmann. Giesselmann was just as effective with a pair of double-doubles.  He poured in 31 points with 15 rebounds against Central and had a team-high five assists.

One of the biggest sparks for NWU came from freshman Ryan Garver off the bench.  Garver, playing just his second game of the year, scored seven points with three rebounds and a steal.  He also was the defensive stopper trying to guard Taylor from Central.

Colby Taylor had an outstanding game for Central with 42 points and 13 rebounds.  He was 16-24 from the floor and 5-7 from 3-point range.  Ryan Kunkel also had a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.