Men's Basketball Prevails in Overtime Thriller, 105-104
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Joseph's (Me.) (8-9, 6-5 GNAC) | 42 | 53 | 9 | 104 |
|
Anna Maria (11-7, 10-2 GNAC') | 42 | 53 | 10 | 105 |
PAXTON, Mass.—Senior Corey Pryor (Whitinsville, Mass.) converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 1.2 seconds on the clock to lead the Anna Maria College men's basketball team to a 105-104 overtime win against the Monks of St. Joseph's College on Saturday afternoon in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action.
The win marks the ninth-straight for the AMCATS, who improve to 11-7 overall and 10-2 in GNAC action, while the loss drops the Monks to 8-9 overall and 6-5 in league play.
Anna Maria had six players score in double-digits, led by junior Tyler Delorey (Worcester, Mass.) with 23 points. Classmate Patrick Bradanese (Billerica, Mass.) scored 22 points, followed by freshman Youssef Fodaile (Worcester, Mass.) with 19 points.
Senior Quantez Franklin (South Yarmouth, Mass.), Pryor, and junior Kyle McKissick (Charlton, Mass.) added 15, 14, and 11 points, respectively.
Senior Steve Simonds (Steep Falls, Maine) scored a game-high 37 points and joined the 1,000th point club with his second basket of the day. He connected on seven of his 11 three-point attempts. As a team, the Monks scored 15 baskets from behind the arc.
Neither team ever had a comfortable lead in a game that saw 31 lead changes and 17 ties. Neither team led by more than seven points at any point in the contest—the Monks had a seven-point edge at the 8:45 mark of the first half, while the AMCATS held that same advantage at the 15:39 mark of the second half.
The first half ended in a deadlocked 42-42 score. Both teams scored 53 points each in the second half, concluding regulation at 95-95 to force overtime. The five-minute overtime period alone saw three lead changes and three ties. The Monks too the first lead of overtime following a pair of free-throws by Quinn Richardson-Newton (Saco, Maine), but Delorey answered with a jumper to tie it again.
The Monks strung together back-to-back scoring possessions to take a four-point lead with 2:37 still to play, but Bradanese hit both ends of a set of free-throws and McKissick hit a layup to tie the score at 101-101.
With 30 seconds left, senior Michael Gorman (Methuen, Mass.) drew a foul on the top of the key and hit the first of two free-throws to put the AMCATS up by one. With nine seconds on the clock, Simonds drained a three to give control back to St. Joseph's.
It was Pryor's turn to shine from there, as he nearly turned the ball over in the paint but recollected, drove to the hoop, and drained the layup as he was fouled. Tied at 104-104, Pryor calmly hit the free-throw, and the AMCATS escaped with the 105-104 win, despite two inbounds chances for the Monks in the final 1.2 seconds.
The AMCATS hit 64.1 percent of their field goal attempts (41-64) on the day, while the Monks posted a 57.8 percent effort from the floor (37-64). Anna Maria held a 52-38 advantage in points-in-the-paint and a 15-9 edge in points off turnovers. The Monks held a 37-33 advantage in bench points. Anna Maria outrebounded St. Joseph's 33-23.
Anna Maria returns to action on Monday in a 7:00 p.m. game against Emmanuel. St. Joseph's hosts Rivier on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.