Millersville, Pa. - Millersville men's basketball trailed visiting Chestnut Hill for the majority of Tuesday's match-up, but a second half rally and some clutch shooting down the stretch lifted the Marauders to an 81-77 overtime win.
Millersville (2-3) shot a season-high 52.6 percent from the field and made a season-high 10 3-pointers. Playing without the services of leading scorer
Kelvin Parker, the Marauders turned to a quartet of double-figure scorers in a balanced effort.
Tyree Smith scored a season-high 21 points to go with nine boards.
Jalen Lester tossed in 17, hitting 5-of-7 from three.
Eddie Callender registered a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and
Shawn Williams totaled 13 points and a career-high eight assists.
Lester made the game's biggest bucket with 31 seconds left in overtime. With Chestnut Hill holding a 75-74 lead following two free throws from Noel Hightower, Lester drained a triple that pushed the Marauders on top by two. The Griffins missed a pair of free throws on the next offensive possession, but the Marauders made good on their opportunities from the stripe. Smith and Lester combined to make four consecutive free throws in the final 19 seconds to secure the win.
The Marauders trailed by as many as 10 early in the second period but wiped away the deficit with a 14-4 run over the next eight minutes. Callender gave the Marauders their first lead at 50-48 with 8:30 left in regulation. Chestnut Hill broke a tied game and moved in front 63-61 on a pair of free throws from Christian Walck. Freshman
Sam Light took a 3-pointer on Millersville's next offensive possession and was fouled while rebounding his own miss. He knocked down both of the free throws to tie the game at 63 apiece. The Millersville defense forced overtime after getting Billy Cassidy to miss his 3-pointer attempt as time expired.
Tuesday's game was Millersville's first home game of the season and the first of a four-game home stand over the next eight days. Millersville hosts Goldey-Beacom on Saturday at 1 p.m.
