Concordia held off Northrop 59-58 in a game that cost the Bruins the SAC regular-season championship Friday. And the Cadets did it with their three-year starter at point guard on the bench.

Senior Ryan Gross picked up a technical foul late in the third quarter and went to the bench. He never came back into the game despite having only four personal fouls.

"That's an internal situation," Concordia coach Josh Eggold said. "He's been a leader for us for three years, and I know he is hurting a little bit right now."

Gross finished with zero points, but eight rebounds and five assists.

Junior D.J. McCall stepped in at point guard with Gross on the bench.

"It was interesting in the sense that we didn't have our normal personnel in," Eggold said of the final few minutes. "I thought D.J. stepped up at the 1 (point guard) and did a great job of handling the ball. That's extreme pressure when you don't handle the ball all the time and be put in that situation against a quick kid (Brenton Scott)."

McCall finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists.