Men’s Basketball Edged By Middlebury In 2OT Thriller

BRIDGEWATER, MA: Sophomore guard Jakai Alexandre (Fitchburg, MA) scored a career-high 26 points as the Anna Maria College men's basketball team lost 99-96 against Middlebury on Friday evening in the opener of the Bridgewater State University Cave Classic in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Friday, November 19, 2021
• Score: Middlebury 99, Anna Maria 96 2OT
• Records: Panthers of Middlebury 2-1 | AMCATS of Anna Maria 1-2
  

CRUNCH TIME:

• Up 74-70 in the closing minutes of regulation, the AMCATS went cold down the stretch, allowing the Panthers to tie it up at 74-74 and send it into overtime. Trailing 86-81 with 54 seconds left, Anna Maria refused to give up, as sophomore guard Trevian Grenon (Sutton, MA) buried a three, then Alexandre stole the ball, finishing with a layup to tie it. Down by two with 15 seconds left, senior guard Kennedy Minix-Rogers (Smyrna, GA) made a jumper to send it into double-overtime. In double-overtime, Alexandre put the AMCATS up by one off a layup with 2:53 to go. But the Panthers closed out the game on a 6-2 run, making their free throws and forcing a turnover in the final seconds.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Alexandre was a force throughout, shooting 10-of-18 from the floor with seven rebounds, four assists and a team-high five steals with one block.
• Grenon came off the bench and exploded for 19 points on 5-of-8 three-point shooting with four steals.
• Minix-Rogers continued to demonstrate why he is one of the best point guards in the region, dishing out 10 assists with 14 points and three steals.
• Anna Maria senior guard Ralph Grasso, Jr. (Marlborough, MA) pulled down a team-high nine boards with 12 points.
• The AMCATS' bench outscored the Panethers' backups, 34-14.
• Middlebury freshman guard Sam Stevens (Mansfield, MA) matched Alexandre with 26 points, pulling down 10 rebounds with six assists and two blocks.
• Middlebury sophomore guard Noah Osher (Northbrook, IL) posted 22 points and six rebounds.                                                                                                                                       

UP NEXT:

Anna Maria will be back on the court on Saturday when they face host Bridgewater State in the Cave Classic consolation game, with tip-off at 12:00 p.m.

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