Senior guard Darius ‘Pee Wee’ Gardner’s ability to hit shots at crucial moments helped the Eagles propel past the Colgate Raiders 71-69 in double overtime.
Playing under the pressure of the ticking clock, Gardner found the basket twice in the final seconds of regulation to push the tightly-fought game into overtime. His leadership and agility continued to shine during the extra minutes, and his final assist to junior forward Marko Vasic helped secure the last two points of game for AU, bringing the Eagles their fourth home victory.
Junior guard Jesse Reed added an additional 21 points for the Eagles, and he hit a hot streak at the end of the first half to help his team secure a 32-27 lead heading into the break.
“There’s openings there from my teammates helping me out a little bit, and I got a couple lucky rolls with some shots, but I was just doing whatever I could to keep us in the game and get us into halftime when Pee Wee could get back on the court and give us some more leadership on the court,” Reed said.
The Eagles maintained the lead for the majority of the second half, but the Raiders kept them on their toes. Colgate drew within a point of AU when senior guard Damon Sherman-Newsome hit a three-point shot that brought the score to 49-48 and threw the fans into a frenzy. Chants of “de-fense” filled Bender Arena, but Colgate continue to rise. Senior center Ethan Jacobs hit a three-point and converted on two free throws two minutes later to put the Raiders ahead by four with eighteen seconds to play.
“[He’s] a weapon,” AU head coach Mike Brennan said in reference to Jacobs. “He can score inside too, so it’s not like you can put a little guy on him. So he’s one of the unique centers in the league and he proved it tonight by the way he shot the ball.”
Jacobs finished the night with 15 points, but AU countered his strong shooting with fluidity and perseverance.
Gardner lit a spark in the gym when he sent his 13 seconds remaining, and he brought the crowd to their feet. His shot pulled the score within one, but he risked losing his momentum and the chance for victory when he committed his fourth personal foul, and brought Colgate junior forward Austin Tillotson to the line. Tillotson sunk his first shot, but missed the second. Gardner ran with the ball and sank a final field goal to send the game into overtime.
Jacobs earned the first two points in overtime, but AU senior center Kevin Panzer responded by draining a three-point shot that gave the Eagles the lead. After five minutes of back and forth basketball, the two teams headed into another round of overtime.
Vasic came off the bench strong for AU in the second overtime, and he snagged an immediate rebound, sent the ball over the head of the Colgate defense and drained a two-point basket. AU extended their lead to five points after a three-point shot from sophomore forward Charlie Jones, but Colgate kept things close with a field goal and a free throw to complete a three-point play. Vasic closed out the game with a shot off an assist from Gardner that found the back of the net and brought AU the win after 50 minutes of even basketball.
“I thought our guys competed and did a good job,” Brennan said. “I think all games are going to be like this, and you’re going to win some, you’re going to lose some. We got lucky tonight.”
The Eagles continue conference play Jan. 13 in Bender Arena when they take on Lehigh University at 7:30 p.m.
sscovel@theeagleonline.com
