Kleekamp Named MVP as Griffins Win Big Four Tournament

The Fontbonne University men's basketball team won the Moody Bible Tournament on Saturday after coming away with the 82-61 win over Lincoln Christian.

Final: Fontbonne 82, Lincoln Christian 61

Location: Chicago, Ill.

Records: Fontbonne 2-3, Lincoln Christian 2-8

How It Happened

After trailing early in the first half, the Griffins went on a 10-0 run to take the 18-11 advantage on Elijah Rice's layup at the 8:29 mark. Later, the Lions trimmed it down to 28-24 at the 2:39 mark, though the Griffins finished out the half on a 8-0 run to lead by 12 at the break.

Fontbonne shot 48.5 percent in the first half and outrebounded LCU, 19-11. Caden Clark led the offense with 11 points.

In the second half, the offense continued rolling along with Anthony Jones' layup at the 14:40 mark gave Fontbonne a commanding 52-34 lead. The team maintained its double-digit lead the rest of the way en route to the 21-point win.

At the conclusion of the tournament, Jalen Wadlington was named to the All-Tournament Team and Gus Kleekamp was named tournament MVP. 

Inside The Numbers

• The Griffins shot 46.2 percent from the floor, outrebounded the Lions 42-32, and handed out a season-high 21 assists.
• The team also controlled the paint with a 44-20 advantage and outscored LCU's bench, 21-12.
• Lincoln Christian ended with a 32.1 field goal percentage.

Lincoln Christian Leaders

• Nate Parks was the lone player on the team to reach double-figures after netting a game-high 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting.

Fontbonne Leaders

• Jared Woodcock broke out with a season-high 21 points on 6-of-7 shooting.
• Caden Clark added 13 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
• Anthony Jones came off the bench to end with 11 points, while Gus Kleekamp recorded his first double-double on the year with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Up Next

The team will now enjoy the holiday break and return to action on December 4^th when they'll visit MacMurray for its first conference outing. Tip-off at 7:30 p.m.  

Fans make sure to stay updated on fontbonnegriffins.com throughout the year for full updates on the men's basketball team.

Make sure to follow us on all our social media accounts: Twitter (@FBUGriffins), Instagram (@fbugriffins) and Facebook (/FontbonneUGriffins).

STORY COURTESY OF FONTBONNE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION