Box Score WALTHAM, Mass. - Behind a program high 47 points with ten three pointers by
Michael Mallory (Waterbury, Conn.), the Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team defeated Bentley 113-111 in double overtime in thrilling fashion on Saturday afternoon. Mallory's 47 points is also the most points scored by any player at Bentley's Dana Center.
Desmond Williams (Torrington, Conn.) put in 36 points and pulled down 15 rebounds, his eleventh double-double of the season.
With the win, the Owls improve to 17-4 overall and 12-2 in the NE-10, while the Falcons fall to 15-4 and 12-2.
The Owls held a 53-43 lead at halftime, but Bentley chipped away at the lead, tying the game at 59 with 14:39 left. The Falcons would continue to extend their lead to as much as seven with 8:09 remaining.
Southern Connecticut would eventually come back to tie the game at 2:39 on a
Desmond Williams (Torrington, Conn.) layup. Bentley came right back on the next possession with a three pointer by Tyler McFarland. McFarland finished the game with 28 points, second on the Falcons.
After two Owl free throws to cut the lead to one, Bentley missed two free throws with 45 seconds left to maintain an 85-83 score. On the next Owl possession,
Austin Carter (Bloomfield, Conn.) made one of two free throws to cut the lead to 85-84 with 22.6 seconds left.
Southern Connecticut fouled the Falcons on the inbound pass with 21.6 seconds left. Keegan Hyland hit both free throws to give Bentley an 87-84 lead. A Mallory three pointer tied the game at 87 to force overtime, where he would score 22 of the teams 26 total points.
In overtime, a Mallory three pointer gave the Owls a 92-89 lead. After three Bentley free throws tied it up, Mallory hit a corner three to give Southern another three point lead.
On Bentley's next possession, Keegan Hyland drove down the lane and converted an and-1 to tie it back up at 95 with 58.3 seconds left. Hyland finished the game as Bentley'd leading scorer with 30 points and 12 boards.
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Stefon Williams (Jamaica, N.Y.) layup and two Mallory free throws pushed Southern's lead to four with 17 seconds left. Hyland hit a layup for the Falcons, then fouled Mallory with 12 seconds left. Mallory made one of two free throws to give SCSU a three point lead, and Furness hit a three pointer on the other end of the court to force a second overtime.
In the final five minutes of the game, Mallory scored a fast break layup and a three pointer with a Falcon and-1 in between which netted the Owls a two point lead. After two Tyler McFarland free throws, Mallory hit back-to-back treys to give Southern a six point lead with 2:10 left. Hyland responded with a three for Bentley, but D. Williams came back with a layup to extend the lead to five.
Furness would hit a three-pointer with 32 seconds left to cut it down to 113-111, where it would end despite Williams missing two free throws and Hyland missing a three at the buzzer.
There were 12 ties and 10 lead changes in the game. After Mallory's 22 overtime points, Furness had the most OT points with 11.
Southern Connecticut's next game is Tuesday, February 2 when they host Bridgeport.
