READING, Pa. – Freshman Korey Hayman Jr. totaled 15 points and hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 34.2 seconds to play as Stevenson University rallied from a 10-point deficit with 6:44 left to stun Albright College 76-73 in MAC Commonwealth men's basketball action Saturday afternoon at the Bollman Center.
Stevenson (9-14, 7-7 MAC Commonwealth) never led until Hayman's go-ahead three and had tied the game on just one other occasion. With the win the Mustangs move into a tie for fourth in the conference standings in the loss column with two games left to play. The top five teams qualify for the MAC Commonwealth championship. Stevenson also improved to 7-1 in games decided by five or fewer points.
Hayman matched his career high and went 5-7 from the floor, including 3-5 behind the arc, as one of four Mustangs in double figures. Sophomore Sean Mayberry led Stevenson with 17 points on 8-13 shooting, while junior Ryan Hill added a career-high 15 points while grabbing nine rebounds. Senior Erik Fisher chipped in with 14 points.
Albright (10-14, 7-8 MAC Commonwealth) was paced by DeJuan Smith's 21 points.
Stevenson had not led and trailed 69-59 with 6:44 remaining on a three by Brandon Lindsay. The Mustangs held Albright to just one field goal the rest of the way, and used a 12-2 run capped by a Hayman three with 2:04 left to tie the game 71-71, the first time the game had been tied since the opening tip.
Smith was fouled with a minute remaining and sank both ends of the one-and-one to give the Lions a 73-71 lead. Coming out of a timeout, an initial drive and floater in the lane by senior Christian Roberts was blocked, but Roberts got the rebound and got it back out. Hayman took a pass from senior Joe Kiely and knocked down his third three of the afternoon with 34.2 seconds to go to give Stevenson its first lead.
On the other end, Roberts came up with a block on Smith, and after an inbounds and another Smith miss, Hill grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 12 seconds left. Hill made both at the line to push the lead to three, 76-73. Omari Ringgold got two looks at a game-tying three for Albright, but both were off the mark.
Albright opened up a 16-8 lead midway through the first half when an 8-2 Lion run was capped by a Ringgold three-pointer. The Mustangs cut the lead to four, 19-15, on a three by Hayman at the 7:44 mark, but a 9-2 spurt by the hosts increased the lead to 11, 28-17, with just over five minutes left before halftime. Albright took a 39-30 lead into the locker room.
Stevenson opened the second half on an 8-2 run and a layup by Kiely 2:16 into the frame made it 41-38. The Albright lead fluctuated between three and six points for the next several minutes as the two teams traded baskets. The Lions took a 57-49 lead with 11:11 left on a Smith basket, and opened up a 10-point cushion, 69-59, with 6:44 to go.
The Mustangs shot 40.6% for the game while Albright shot 45.5%, but a 40-36 Stevenson rebounding advantage, including 21-13 on the offensive glass, gave the guests a 20-10 lead in second chance points. The Lions knocked down nine of their 17 three-point attempts while Stevenson was 4-13 behind the arc, while both teams shot well at the free throw line, with the Mustangs 16-19 and Albright 14-18. Stevenson also forced 18 turnovers while committing just 10 giveaways of its own.
Stevenson returns to action Tuesday night when it travels to Hood College for an 8:00 MAC Commonwealth contest.