Box Score

WORCESTER, Mass. - The Southern Connecticut State men's basketball team pulled off a big 92-81 double-overtime victory at Assumption on Saturday. After leading by 19 early in the second half, the Owls persevered and outscored the Greyhounds 15-4 in the second overtime. It was the Owls' first double-overtime game since they topped Concordia 99-94 on Dec. 15, 2012. The Owls had success from the charity stripe, going 26-for-32 (81.2 percent) from the free throw line in the game. Senior Tylon Smith (Manchester, Conn.) tallied his second double-double of the season with 21 points and tied a season and career high with 10 assists, to go along with five rebounds. Senior Luke Houston (Pearl River, N.Y.) led the team with 25 points and set a new career-high with eight steals. Junior Desmond Williams (Torrington, Conn.) tied a season-high with 12 rebounds and set a season-high with four blocks. Southern now sits at 15-5 (10-3 NE-10) on the season, while the Hounds fall to 8-11 (5-9 NE-10).

The Owls came out quick, jumping on top 7-0 lead, as it took the Hounds over five minutes to get on the board via a pair of free throws. Houston and junior Deshawn Murphy (Hamden, Conn.) hit back-to-back jumpers before Mallory took a pass ahead of the pack and dunked one home, forcing a Greyhounds timeout at the 13:09 mark, with Southern up 13-4. The Hounds started the game hitting just two of their first 11 shots.

The Owls' lead hit double digits for the first time immediately following the timeout thanks to a layup by Smith. The lead grew to 13 just over six minutes later following another Smith basket. Sophomore Austin Carter (Bloomfield, Conn.) nailed his only field goal attempt of the first half from deep in the corner with 4:11 to go until halftime, making it a 35-22 ballgame. Houston followed with a pair of free throws and a three-pointer to give the team its largest lead of the half at 18 points. Southern went into the half with a 43-30 lead.

Smith led all scorers through the first 20 minutes with 11 points and six assists on 5-for-5 shooting. Houston was also in double figures with 10 points and Murphy added eight.

The Owls ran off the first six points of what proved to be a very energetic second half, as Smith and Houston each delivered layups.

Assumption then countered with a 12-0 run to make it 49-42, before Carter got it back to double digits with his second three of the ballgame, making it 52-42 at the 14:42 mark. The lead jumped back to 11 at 61-50, thanks to back-to-back threes from Houston and sophomore Michael Mallory (Waterbury, Conn.), sandwiched around a pair of Hound free throws, with just over seven minutes remaining in regulation.

Kemali Bey got the Hounds to within four at 63-58 with 5:19 remaining. D. Williams later got the Southern lead back to seven with a spin-around jumper to his left, making it 71-64 with 2:17 left. Assumption added four quick points over the next 29 seconds cut the lead to 71-68, capped off by a steal and layup from Julian Aiken.

With 13 seconds remaining, an Owls turnover gave Assumption a chance to tie the game. Following the inbound, quick passing led to a missed three-point opportunity, but the Hounds grabbed the offensive board, and Aiken drained the game-tying three from near the right elbow with three seconds left to send the game into overtime, tied at 71.

The teams went back and forth in the first overtime, before Mallory was fouled and hit both free throws with just over 20 seconds left to tie the game at 77, focing a second OT session. Mallory hit a three-pointer early in the second stanza to give the Owls the lead for good at 82-79. SCSU used free throws to put the game out of reach over the last few minutes, outscoring the Hounds 15-4 in the last five minutes.

Next up, the Owls will host cross-town rival New Haven on Wednesday, February 4. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., following the women's game.