Men's Basketball Escapes Rosemont On Hughes Buzzer Beater

Men's Basketball Escapes Rosemont On Hughes Buzzer Beater

ROSEMONT, Pa. – A Bears buzzer-beater took place on Thursday night in Rosemont as Ryan Hughes hit a 3-pointer as time expired to lift the Ursinus College men's basketball team over Rosemont, 80-78.

Hughes' stunning shot was the end of a wild closing stretch that saw the Bears (4-1) blow a double-digit lead only to score five unanswered points in the final eight seconds, all courtesy of their sophomore star.

Hughes brought the Bears back within one with 8 seconds remaining on a quick lay-up, hoping to get one last chance to tie or take the lead. Ursinus immediately fouled forcing a dramatic one-and-one opportunity at the line for the Ravens. Rosemont missed the front end of the one-and-one and Hughes came up with the rebound with eight seconds left on the clock. With almost no time left, Hughes spun around a double-team and buried a 35-footer, banking it in at the buzzer to win the game. 

The Bears fell behind early out of the gates but a Ryan McTamney lay-in tied the game at six and then Bruce Edwards hit a jumper to wrap up a 5-0 run to knot the score up 11 apiece. The Ravens managed to narrowly stay in the lead until George Gordon found netting on a jumper to put Ursinus up for the first time on the night, 17-16, before a Peyton Vostenak trey made it 20.

Leading 31-30 with under two to play in the first half, back-to-back 3s from Hughes and Edwards put the Bears up by six, but a 5-0 run by the Ravens to close the half had Ursinus headed to the locker room with a narrow, 37-35 lead.

Rosemont came out of the half on a 9-4 run to go up 44-41, but a Hughes 3 from Jimmy Kpadeh tied the score at 44, sparking a 10-2 run for the Bears. Gordon made three straight baskets to bring his total to 10, giving Ursinus its biggest lead of the game, 52-46.

However, the Ravens responded and tied the game with consecutive threes of their own. The Bears immediately re-took the lead with an Edwards jumper as the junior guard went on to make a pair of baskets and cash in on an 'and-one' to put the Bears up by double digits, 75-65, with 3:45 to go.

Just when it looked like Ursinus might hang on for a routine victory, Rosemont came clawing back. Four turnovers lead to a 13-0 run by the Ravens as the home team hit a late 3 to take their first lead since early in the first half. 

Hughes' buzzer-beater capped off a strong night for the sophomore. He shot 8-11 from the field to hit the 25-point mark for the third time this season. Hughes also brought in 10 rebounds for his second double-double on the year. Edwards also had a good night, shooting 8-of-13 from the floor to score 18. Gordon scored 12 to make it three Bears in double digits, and Kpadeh had a season-high seven assists in the win. 

The Bears are back in action next Tuesday when they open Centennial Conference play at Haverford.