The Maryville College men's basketball team advanced to 6-3 on the season with a 93-82 overtime victory over North Carolina Wesleyan College on Sunday afternoon in MC's Boydson Baird Gymnasium.
In a physical game that featured 48 fouls, Maryville could not sustain an 11 point lead in the first half despite shooting 60% from the floor. The Bishops battled back right before the intermission with a strong outside game that featured the visitors connecting on 6-of-10 three-pointers. The Scots took a 38-35 lead into the half.
The Bishops chipped away in the second period with strong defensive pressure that created 16 Maryville turnovers. As the Scots hit only 43% of their shots, NCW hit 54% including a 3-for-6 effort from beyond the arc. NCW took the lead at the 14:46 mark, and Maryville tied the game at 51-51 less than a minute later. The Scots jumped out to an eight point advantage following a pair of Christian Ford free throws at the six minute mark. Wesleyan came alive with a minute remaining hitting a pair of layups and a Matt Dougherty jumper with seven seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime with a 78-78 score.
MC dominated the extra period scoring 15 points. Three pointers by Christian Ford and Wes Lambert put Maryville up 84-78. A Milton Stanley basket and a pair of free-throws extended MC's lead 88-80. A key basket, rebound and a pair of free-throws by Lambert sealed the key South Region victory for MC.
NC Wesleyan (6-4) was led by Josh Morrison's 23 point effort. Matt Dougherty threw down 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting while hitting three treys. Ric Yarbrough added 12 points in the paint while Justin Griffith finished with 10 points.
Maryville (6-3) had five players score in double figures. Wes Lambert was 6-for-10 from the field and paced MC in scoring with 19 points. Milton Stanley had a complete game with 15 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. Christian Ford posted 13 points and 6 assists from the point guard position. Joey Bodewig threw down a dozen points in the paint while Craig Raye added 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Donald Rucker paced Maryville on the boards with a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Scots will play once more before the Christmas break. They will travel to Greensboro, North Carolina on the 17th to challenge Guilford College. Tip-off is slated for 3:00 p.m. and Knoxivi will provide live video coverage for MC fans.