Wheaton, Ill. -- The 27th annual Lee Pfund Classic came to an end on Saturday night inside King Arena as the Piedmont Lions topped the Alma Scots to claim the competition crown for the first time. Before the two sides contested the championship game, Wheaton hosted Heidelberg University in the third-ever meeting between the Thunder and the Student Princes. Heidelberg used a strong second half performance to pull away from the tournament hosts for a 78-60 victory. Upon the conclusion of the four-game Classic, an All-Tournament team was named, and Wheaton's Connor Braun was recognized along with five other players for his performances on Friday and Saturday.

The first half of this evening's contest was a back-and-forth, evenly-matched stretch featuring seven lead changes and Wheaton owning the largest advantage at just six points. But the Ohio visitors fought back to claim a 28-27 edge with three minutes remaining in the period and canceled out a Ty Ferguson three-pointer with a 6-0 run. RJ Veliz then hit an off-balance triple to beat the shot clock on the Thunder's final possession of the first frame to bring Wheaton back within one at 34-33 heading into the intermission.

The Student Princes shot an impressive 53% from the floor after halftime and racked up 44 points while holding Wheaton to just nine made baskets and a 33.3% tally in the second period. But it was not until the halfway point of the second half that the guests created daylight between themselves and the Thunder. A three-pointer from Braun with just under ten minutes remaining trimmed the Heidelberg lead down to four points at 54-50, but two scoring runs in quick succession thereafter of 8-3 and 8-0 ballooned the visitors' advantage up to 18 with less than four minutes left to play. Heidelberg's Isaiah Young was the offensive catalyst down the stretch, and the All-Tournament honoree finished with 30 points, including a perfect 6-6 mark at the free throw line and 12 two-point baskets.

The away side finished the game with an even 50% shooting mark, while the Thunder connected on 36% of their attempts. Wheaton had a better night from beyond the arc, making nine threes and posting a 37.5% tally to Heidelberg's 30.8% figure. Both teams were excellent at the foul line on Saturday, with just three missed free throws between the sides out of 22 total attempts. The hosts came up with more assists and blocked shots than their opponents, but Heidelberg held the advantage in rebounding and committed two fewer turnovers. The battle in the paint did not go the Thunder's way tonight, and the Student Princes also used sizable edges in fast break baskets and points off of turnovers to earn the road win.

Braun led Wheaton with 17 points and six made field goals while also going 4-4 at the charity stripe. Kyle Neibch followed up his leading-scorer performance on Friday night with 14 more points this evening and was the only Thunder player to make multiple three-point shots. RJ Veliz contributed 11 points and a team-high four assists as well as five rebounds. Noah Hedrick grabbed a team-leading six boards and scored the same number of points.

2023 Lee Pfund Classic Honorees

WILL LANDRY MVP
Ryan Jolly -- Piedmont

ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM
Joe Helenbrook -- Piedmont
Tyshaun Walker -- Alma
Connor Riley -- Alma
Isaiah Young -- Heidelberg
Connor Braun -- Wheaton


After starting the 2023-24 season with four home contests, the Thunder men's squad will head out on the road for the first time next Saturday. Wheaton is scheduled to face Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky in a non-conference matchup that will tip off at 6 PM Eastern.