RICHMOND, IND. – A 16-4 double overtime run sent Manchester University past Kalamazoo College 95-83 Saturday, Nov. 24, during day one of the 2012 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference/Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Challenge at Earlham College.
The Spartans, picking up their third consecutive win to go to 3-1 on the season, took advantage of balanced scoring and strong glass work to side-step the Hornets (0-1).
Sophomore guard Grant Newlin (Muncie, Ind.) topped the chart with 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting to go along with a team-high four assists. Fellow sophomore guard Greg Flores (Hammond, Ind.) turned in one of three double-doubles for Coach Brad Nadborne's team, who had a 58-42 advantage on the boards, with 20 points and 13 boards, while sophomore forward Jon Thompson (Rushville, Ind.) ended with 20 points which included three three-point buckets. The inside duo of senior forward David House (Elkhart, Ind.) and sophomore forward Silas Sims (Hope, Ind.) were also tough to handle for the Kalamazoo defense with a pair of 10-point, 10-rebound efforts. Sims also blocked a Hornet shot attempt.
MU and Kalamazoo played a back and forth game throughout. The Black and Gold held a 38-36 halftime lead and then needing a buzzer-beating lay-in from Newlin to force a first extra session. Manchester had chances to close the contest in the first overtime but a trio of treys in the final 39 seconds fell short to set up a second overtime. The second extra session was all Spartans from the start with House converting a conventional three-point play and a five-for-six free throw line effort giving MU an 89-79 lead with just 1:44 to play.
The Spartans continue action in the 2012 HCAC/MIAA Challenge with a 2 p.m. tip-off against in-state rival Trine Sunday, Nov. 25.
NOTES: Flores continued a blistering week with his second successive 20-point-plus effort. … MU's 58 rebounds marked the first 50-plus-boards game for the program since the 2010-11 squad registered 54 against Mt. St. Joseph. … The team's current three-game win skein is the longest since the 2010-11 squad reeled off 12 straight. … MU's 95 points were the most in a game since the 2009-10 squad registered 103 against Concordia University of Illinois.