CHESTERTOWN, Md. – The Ursinus College men's basketball team escaped Washington College with an 86-85 overtime victory Tuesday night, relinquishing a 15-point second half lead before a driving runner by senior Matt Knowles with 9.4 seconds remaining rescued the Bears.
Knowles, the team's leading scorer, had only seven points but made his third field goal count, taking a hand-off and rolling down the right side of the lane before banking in the game-winning basket from near the right baseline. After a Washington College timeout, Josh Porteous' one-legged runner bounced off the rim and was tipped away as Ursinus (7-6, 4-2) improved to 3-0 in Centennial Conference road games and won its third straight over the Shoremen. It was the Bears' first overtime win in CC play since a 58-50 defeat of McDaniel nearly two years ago.
Junior Zach Quattro put up career highs in points (21) and rebounds (13) to lead the Bears, which got 17 points apiece from junior Remi Janicot and sophomore Eric Williams Jr., who hit five 3-pointers. Ursinus shot 57.9 percent from the field (33 of 57) to overcome 25 turnovers and 20 points from Washington College's Joey Shelton.
The lead switched hands 10 times on the night, half of them coming in the final 3:16. Eric Williams started the seesaw with a desperation 3 before James Drury and Bears freshman Shane Stark traded two free throws. A lay-up by Shelton put the Shoremen ahead 85-84, and the home side had a chance to seal it after getting a stop on the other end. Drury's straightaway 3-pointer was long, however, allowing Knowles to play the hero.
Quattro finished 9 for 14 from the field, adding four assists and two blocks to his ledger. Eric Williams, meanwhile, was 5 of 8 from beyond the arc, giving him three games this season with at least five triples. Janicot made six of his eight field goals and all but one of his six foul shots, adding six boards before fouling out in the extra period.
The Bears scorched the nets in the first half, shooting 68.0 percent (17 of 25) and making four 3-pointers to offset a dozen turnovers and five triples from the Shoremen. Quattro scored on the game's first possession, but Ursinus trailed for much of the first half until the junior's put-back made it 20-19 at the 9:02 mark.
Janicot capped an 11-0 run with a beautiful feed to a cutting Quattro and a three-point play of his own, but Washington College chipped away and pulled even at 35 with just over a minute remaining in the period. Eric Williams banged home treys on the next two trips, and the visitors took a 41-37 edge into the break. Eight different Bears scored in the first half, with Quattro (4 for 5), Janicot (3 for 4), and freshman Ryan McTamney (3 for 4) combining for 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Quattro, who had 17 points on 6-of-6 shooting on Saturday, stayed red-hot out of the locker room, knocking in three field goals in the first two-plus minutes of the second stanza and running the Bears' lead to 50-41 on a left corner 3-ball.
A deep 3-pointer by Eric Williams pushed the lead to double digits for the first time, and Janicot put a big stamp on a 12-2 spurt with a one-handed slam on a transition feed from junior Brian Rafferty, who dished out a game-high six assists. Janicot's throw-down was the second in as many games for Ursinus, which got a breakaway jam from freshman Shane Stark on Saturday.
Ursinus led by as many as 15 in the second half, and was ahead by 11 on a 3-pointer by Knowles with 6:57 to go. But the Shoremen came to life down the stretch, getting within one twice before Tas Dixon's free throw with 3.2 seconds remaining knotted the contest at 77 and forced overtime. The Bears benefitted from three missed free throws in the final 45 seconds by Washington College, which was just 13 for 23 at the line in regulation.
Drury had 14 points and a team-high six rebounds for Washington College, but no other Shoreman had more than three boards as Ursinus controlled a 39-26 upper hand on the glass.
The men's basketball team puts its road success to the test again on Thursday, when the Bears head to Dickinson for a key tilt with the second-place Red Devils.