Maryville Outlasts Washington & Lee 87-84 in Overtime
MARYVILLE – Maryville finally was able to show the home folks what the Scots have been building over the last month.
The Scots (6-2) made it six wins in a row with a thrilling 87-84 overtime home opening victory against Washington & Lee here Saturday. Maryville is now 6-1 against the Old Dominion Athletic Conference over the last three seasons.
The Generals (5-2) came into Cooper Athletic Center having won five out of six but left with their second loss of the season. Maryville's second loss was way back on Nov. 11, and the Scots have been perfect since.
"It was an NCAA tournament-type feel because there were two good teams going at it," Maryville head coach Raul Placeres said. "We were really good the first 10-12 minutes of the first half. We showed real dominance on both sides of the floor. And then we kind of died. We couldn't score and a lot of it had to do with them and their change of defense. They changed the tempo of the game and made us think and work a little bit more.
"At times, our fans got to see the capability and talent level of this ballclub – if we can put it all together. There were spurts of that today."
Contributions All Around
After leading by as many as 10 points in the first half, Maryville went to the halftime locker room trailing 33-28. But the Scots caught up quickly and reclaimed the lead 40-39 on a Daryl Rice 3-pointer from the top of the key. That fueled a back-and-forth that saw Maryville go in front by four and then Washington & Lee take a four-point lead.
Maryville finally broke in front 63-57 on a Kemp 3-pointer with 6:28 remaining. Kemp hit again in the final minute to make it 70-66 with 32 seconds left. But Washington & Lee's Robert DiSibio knocked down consecutive 3-pointers around a pair of Chase Morgan free throws, and regulation ended 72-72.
In the extra session, DiSibio struck again from long range in the first six seconds. Kemp answered at the 3:42 mark to tie it 77-77. Morgan made another two free throws and then Jackson Garner converted a layup in traffic for an 83-79 Maryville lead with 39 seconds showing.
R.J. Simmons got loose for a layup that put the Scots in front 85-81, but then Drew Harrell cashed in a 3-pointer for the Generals and it was 85-84 Maryville. Kemp was fouled and made both of his free throws with three seconds to play. DiSibio got one more 3-point try but it drew iron and the Scots prevailed.
For the game, there were nine ties and eight lead changes.
"I reminded Chase Morgan in overtime that he had been in these moments, and it was his time to convert," Placeres said. "And that's what he did, while going against two seniors who are the best combination we will see all year."
Generals Duo Tough to Handle
Washington & Lee's DiSibio and Jack d'Entremont combined for 46 points and 19 rebounds, helping the Generals to a 50-33 rebounding edge. They entered the game plus-13.8 for the season and increased that margin. Maryville was able to combat that discrepancy by forcing 18 turnovers while committing just eight.
Reed made six 3-pointers for the second straight game and scored 26 points. Morgan and Rice added 14 apiece – Morgan before fouling out in overtime – and Garner scored 12. Maryville was 14-of-30 from downtown and made 15-of-18 at the line. DiSibio led Washington and Lee with 32 and 10.
Placeres pointed to terrific play by Garner, Rice and Javi Rosell, the latter getting 3½ minutes of action but filling up the stat sheet with two points, two assists, a rebound a steal and going plus-5 on the scoreboard.
"I told him, 'It's not how much time you get, it what you do with the time you get,'" the Maryville head coach said. "Daryl continues to be the point guard we need him to be, and Jackson played really tough."
The Scots are right back at it Sunday at Warren Wilson in a 3 p.m. start. The Owls are 1-5.
"Let's win the week," Placeres said. "We are 40 minutes away from winning the week. We will have to rely on our depth tomorrow. If we are going to win in league play, we are going to have to win on back-to-back days, so Sunday is a good test after a hard-fought game here in Cooper."
