CASTINE, MAINE – The Johnson State College men's basketball team defeated Maine Maritime Academy 66-62 in overtime in a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) game on Saturday afternoon.
The Badgers move to 7-8 on the season and 4-4 in the NAC, while the Mariners fall to 3-12 and 0-8 in the conference.
1st Half
The two teams battled back-and-forth early in the first half until the Badgers used a six-point run to take a 13-7 lead at 10:45. The Mariners closed the gap to two at 9:23 but the Badgers built another six-point lead (19-13) with 8:18 to go. Back-to-back baskets by Tyler Thayer cut Johnson's lead to 22-21 at 6:00, and a layup from Tyler Gilson gave the Mariners a 23-22 lead at 5:28. The Badgers outscored the Mariners 9-4 in the closing four minutes of the half to take a 31-27 advantage into the intermission. Thayer led all players with 13 points in the first half and Benjamin Holl (Philadelphia, Pa.) led the Badgers with nine points.
2nd Half
The Badgers built up an eight-point lead at 18:04, but the Mariners battled back once again to close the gap to 40-39 with just over 13 minutes to play. Johnson State responded with a 9-1 run to take a 48-41 lead at 9:50. A Nick Judge layup sparked a seven-point run for the Mariners, cutting the lead to 53-52 at 3:26. The Mariners kept the gap within one possession and Nicholas DePatsy sank a three with 11 seconds left to tie the game at 57-57. Marqwon Wynn's (Wilmington, Del.) three missed the mark on the other end, sending the game into overtime.
Overtime
Kawaun Chavis (Philadelphia, Pa.) made a three to open up overtime. Turnovers plagued both teams early in extra time, before Judge made a jumper to close it within one at 2:06. Chavis made a jumper and came up with a defensive rebound on the other end, to set up a jump shot from Wynn, making it 64-59 with 49 seconds to go. DePatsy sank a three to close the gap to two with 38 to play, but the Badgers hit both from the line in the final seconds to hang on for the 66-62 win.
Johnson Leaders
Chavis led the Badgers with 17 points, while also adding six rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block and Demetrius Slade (Washington, D.C.) tallied a double-double of 14 points, 13 rebounds, and chipped in with four assists, four blocks and two steals.
MMA Leaders
Thayer led all players with 19 points, adding seven rebounds, five assists and two steals, while Judge ended the afternoon with 15 points, a team-high eight rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block.
Stat Breakdown
Johnson outshot the Mariners 40.7% to 36.0% from the field, while shooting 37.0% from three-point range to MMA's 20.0%. The teams were nearly even in rebounds, with Johnson holding a 41-40 edge. Maine Maritime turned the ball over 17 times and forced the Badgers to commit 28.
Next Up
Johnson will host New England College on Tuesday, January 15th at 5:30 p.m. in a NAC contest.