SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Roger Williams University came back from a 14-point deficit in the second half to defeat the Bates College men's basketball team in overtime, 69-67, Sunday in the consolation game of the Naismith Classic at Springfield College.
Pat Flanagan led the Hawks (7-4) with 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting and seven blocked shots. Corey Fava scored 14 points, followed by Travis O'Dell with 13 and Matt Grossbard with 10.
Senior Brian Ellis (Braintree, Mass.) led the Bobcats (7-4) with 17 points, including 12 in the first half. Senior Nick Schmiemann (Weymouth, Mass.) and sophomore Mark Brust (Duxbury, Mass.) scored 14 apiece, and senior Alex Gallant (Bangor, Maine) added 10 to go with a team-high eight rebounds.
Bates outrebounded Roger Williams 47-30, including 21 offensive boards, but the Bobcats only attempted five free throws in the game, making three, compared to a 25-for-29 performance at the line by the Hawks.
Bates finished the first half with a 14-2 run, pulling away from an 18-18 tie with 5:27 left to take a 32-20 lead into intermission. Schmiemann's jumper led off the run, followed by a layup and a three by Ellis, a layup and a three by Brust, and finally another layup by Ellis at the 1:12 mark.
Roger Williams spent the majority of the second half clawing its way back into the game. The Hawks rallied from a 36-22 deficit with 17:28 left in regulation to close within four points, at 40-36, on a pair of foul shots by Grossbard with 12:54 left. Bates settled down and took a 50-45 lead on a Schmiemann three with 7:09 left, but the Hawks scored nine unanswered points over the next three minutes, capped by a three and a layup by O'Dell, for a 54-50 lead with 4:08 to play.
Bates rookie Luke Matarazzo (Shelton, Conn.) and Schmiemann responded with back-to-back threes for a 56-54 lead a minute later. Roger Williams retied the game, but Bates grabbed three offensive boards on its next trip, finally capping the possession with a Schmiemann layup and a 58-56 advantage with 1:40 left in the game. A pair of foul shots by Flanagan with 1:08 left, the result of Ellis's fifth and final personal foul, was the only scoring either team could manage in the final two minutes, sending the teams into the extra period.
Bates junior Ryan Weston (Bangor, Maine) hit a putback to open the scoring in overtime, but it was the Bobcats' final lead of the game. Fava hit a pair of foul shots to tie the game, then made another pair with 2:39 left for a 62-60 Hawks lead. The Hawks cleaned up on foul shots in the overtime period, making 11 of 12.
The Bobcats will host the University of New England for a non-conference game on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The game can be followed via Live Stats and Live Video Webcast.