LEWISBURG, PA. (Sept. 16, 2017) – With a little more than a minute remaining, junior Marton Dudok put in a spinning backhand shot for the Salem International University (SIU) Tigers water polo team, preserving the Tigers' 13-12 victory over the La Salle University Explorers.

With the win, the Tigers split the day—having lost to No. 11-ranked Harvard University earlier in the day--and are now 3-5 on the season.

After losing 19-6 to Harvard, who made the Final Four in 2016, SIU came out of the gates strong against Division I La Salle, jumping out to a 6-0 first quarter. SIU scored on its first possession on a goal from Dudok, who bookended the Tigers' scoring runs with the first and last goal of the night. Inigo Velasco scored two of his team-high three goals in the next two minutes.

The Tigers were sharp, communicating on every defensive possession, swarming to the ball and suffocating La Salle's attack. When a shot got through, goalie Andrew Perry was perfectly positioned to clean up the mess, finishing with 11 saves on 23 La Salle shots.

From there, the Tigers appeared content to coast to a win, allowing La Salle to rally back with a 12-7 run over the final three quarters.

"We came out with a great start, driving, creating opportunities offensively and communicating," Head Coach Rob Bullion said. "Unfortunately, we still have yet to put together a full four quarters of play together."

Five players scored at least two goals apiece, putting together one of the Tigers' most balanced attacks of the season for the stints SIU was rolling. But the team lost its steam in the second and fourth quarters, allowing five and four La Salle goals, respectively.

Those late struggles nearly cost them, as La Salle scored three goals in the last four minutes; setting up Dudok's heroics, which bought SIU the breathing room it needed.

In the previous game, Harvard jumped out quickly, pressing SIU the length of the pull and taking the Tigers out of their offense at the point of attack.

"We couldn't overcome their high press," Bullion said. "They proved why they made the Final Four last year."

Milos Popovic led the Tigers with three goals. Freshmen Seth Lodge and David Romero split duties at goalie as Bullion threw his youngsters into the literal deep end to gain experience against a nationally ranked team.

The Tigers will conclude the Bucknell Invitational tomorrow with matches against Bucknell University at 1 p.m., and Wagner University at 4:45 p.m. Live streaming for the game can be found on our Facebook page.