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Saints stun Tigers in OT, 84-81

Posted 1/31/15

The St. Lawrence University men's basketball team came up with its biggest win of the season on Saturday, as a last-second lay-in forced overtime and allowed the Saints to fend off RIT 84-81 in the …

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Saints stun Tigers in OT, 84-81

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The St. Lawrence University men's basketball team came up with its biggest win of the season on Saturday, as a last-second lay-in forced overtime and allowed the Saints to fend off RIT 84-81 in the Burkman Gymnasium on Saturday. Senior captain Brady Condlin had a season-high 27 points, while Leondre Simmon had his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

St. Lawrence improves to 10-9 overall and 5-6 in conference, but needed the win to keep its hopes for a playoff spot alive and keep RIT within striking distance at 5-5 (10-9 overall). Both teams shot 44% from the field, as the Saints closed with 32 points in the paint. RIT, which appeared poised to take a major step towards the postseason up by three with 1.8 seconds left in regulation, was led by A.J. Horde and Joe Stortini who had 19 and 18 points, respectively.

"That was a great basketball game," said St. Lawrence head coach Chris Downs. "Both teams played extremely hard and wanted this win. We had a lot of fight in us tonight and I'm proud of the effort."

RIT held a four point lead with 13 seconds left in the second half after free throws by Horde for a 72-68 advantage. With Condlin on the bench after picking up his fifth foul, Willie Zachery drove hard to the basket and scored on the lay-up to pull his team back to within two at 72-70 with 5.5 seconds left. Stortini had a chance to ice it with two free throws, but missed the first to keep it a one possession game up 73-70. The Tigers opted to foul Riley Naclerio at midcourt, giving him two free throws with just under 2.0 seconds left. After making the first, the rookie missed the second intentionally off the rim. The rebound bounced softly into the lane to Kaleb Faison, who showed great poise by laying the ball in to tie the game and force overtime tied at 73-73.

The dramatic end to regulation carried over into the extra period, as Kyle Kobis opened the period with a three pointer to put his team on top 76-73. Despite three consecutive possessions with strong offensive rebounding, the Saints came away empty and trailed 77-76 after Stortini made two free throws after a loose ball foul. Zachery came up with a clutch jumper for the lead, 80-79, and after Stortini's lay-up try missed, the Tigers were forced to begin the fouling game.

St. Lawrence was outstanding in the final seconds from the charity stripe, as Edwards and Zachery calmly hit both shots to keep the lead at three with 11 seconds left in overtime. St. Lawrence opted to foul RIT and not allow a three point try with 3.7 seconds to go, and though Stortini made both shots, Zachery matched his efforts to regain the edge at 84-81. With no timeouts, RIT had to settle for a heave from its own end that came up well short, allowing the Saints to celebrate win.

Condlin was a leader throughout the game, coming up with big baskets in regulation when his team needed him most. He had 14 points in the first half, while Simmon added seven points including a fade away three pointer as the shot clock expired. The Saints looked to be headed into the second half with a lead, but a five-point swing in the final seconds helped RIT pull even at 38-38, as the home team was whistled for an intentional foul after after a pair of free throws by Kamron Davis, Horde drilled a three from seven feet outside the arc to cap the scoring.

St. Lawrence held an eight-point lead, 57-49, midway through the second half, only to see RIT rattle off a 14-2 run to claim a lead of its own. The two teams exchanged blows throughout the remaining portion of the second half leading up to the final stretch of dramatic moments.

The Saints will look to build momentum coming off of the win when it hosts Bard College next Friday, February 6 at 8:00pm.