11-13-2011 | Frisch Cougars escape flames of Hillel Heat, 45-43, win Tier 1 5th Place

Two teams from New Jersey, the Hillel Heat and the Frisch Cougars, met up in Memphis for the Tier 1 5th place prize. First quarter play saw four lead changes as these equally matched teams took the floor. The Heat widened the lead three minutes into the second quarter, leading 17-12, but Frisch came back with two quick buckets by Bouaziz and Fishman. Heat guard, Zack Ashkenazi, who had 5 three pointers against the Cooper Yeshiva Macs in semi-final play, pumped in his first 3 of the day, followed by a bucket by Frisch's Judah Cohen and two free throws by Josh Ottensoser. Unable to capitalize on a steal, the Heat went to the line after drawing a foul, missing both free throws; Frisch down by three. Jacob Shapiro went for a long three and was fouled by the Heat, but couldn't buy a free throw. The Heat led at the half, 22-19.

And just like that, the Heat's Zack Ashkenazi hit his second three-pointer on an inbound pass to start the second half, followed by Firsch guard Seth Schlussel hitting a layup in rapid succession. Then, the Heat stole the ball and laid in a bucket. Not to be outdone, Schlussel got a steal and drew a non-shooting foul. Al Sultan of the Heat hit two free throws, followed by two from Liam Shapiro. The Heat's Benjamin hit a bucket, followed by a layup by Ashenazi on a steal. Frisch's Jacob Shapiro hit a bucket, drew a foul and capitalized on the "and 1," ending the third quarter down by 2.

Edward Benjamin of the Heat hit the first six points of the fourth quarter, increasing the Heat's lead to 5. The teams exchanged baskets until Judah Cohen drained a 3 and Ottensoser laid in a bucket to give Firsch a one point lead. Frisch got another steal with less than 2 minutes to play, but lost the ball out of bounds. Shapiro, Ottensoser, and Judah Cohen put in a 4 free throws to bolster the lead for Frisch. With 8.5 seconds left in the game, Frisch missed a layup giving the ball to the Heat. In a heart breaker for the Heat, the game went to Frisch who won the game 45-43.