ALBION, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University men's basketball team dropped a 75-74 decision to local rival Albion College in overtime at Kresge Gymnasium on Friday night.
After hitting a clutch shot to send the game into the extra period, junior Caleb Hogans' three-pointer at the buzzer in OT did not go allowing the Britons to escape with their third straight win over the Cougars.
Freshman Anthony Qasawa paced SAU with a season-high 21 points and Hogans followed with 15. Senior Peter notched his first career double-double 12 points and 10 rebounds while fellow senior Greg Hamilton also finished with 12 points.
Albion (4-2) used a strong first half, shooting nearly 52 percent (16-for31) from the field, to take a 39-31 lead into halftime.
In the second half, the Spring Arbor defense limited the Britons' shooters, but the home team dominated the glass to maintain a narrow edge. Albion grabbed 14 offensive rebounds in the second stanza leading to nine second-chance points, including a put-back bucket with 47 seconds left to give AC a 66-64 advantage.
The Cougars would answer though as Hogans hit a driving layup with 24 ticks remaining to knot the score at 66-66. The Britons would have one more shot in the final seconds but a three-point attempt rimmed out sending the game into overtime.
Hamilton and Hogans scored five quick points to give SAU its first lead since the opening moments of the contest. Following a basket from junior Thomas Starks, the Cougars pulled ahead 74-70 with 1:35 remaining. However, the Britons would cut the deficit to one following three consecutive free throws from Corey Wheeler, who finished with a game-high 35 points. Trailing by one with 22 seconds to go, Wheeler would miss his next free throw, but Albion secured another key offensive rebound and knocked down a put-back shot to grab the lead, 75-74, and hang on for the win.
Both teams ended the night shooting 40 percent from the floor, but Albion hauled in 48 boards, including 23 on the offensive end, compared to SAU's 36.
Up next, Spring Arbor (5-6) will host Lourdes University (6-4) on Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. before making a trip south to face Florida National University (5-5) and Ave Maria University (1-8) on Dec. 21-22.
Men's Basketball Contact: Chris Bauman | 517-750-6504 | christopher.bauman@arbor.edu
SAU Athletics: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
Men's Basketball: Twitter | Facebook
