MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Junior Michael Anderson dropped in seven of the last 11 points for the Marymount (Va.) University men's basketball team in route to a season- and game-high 21 points, as the Saints held on for a 63-62 road victory over Penn State University-Harrisburg on Wednesday night in Capital Athletic Conference play.
With three games remaining in league play, Marymount sits in a four-way tie for fourth place in the standings with a 7-8 record. The Saints are tied with Penn State-Harrisburg, St. Mary's College of Maryland and the University of Mary Washington, their next contest on Saturday, February 13.
The battle between the Saints and Lions on Wednesday night, which saw 10 ties and 10 lead changes, was neck-to-neck down the stretch. Coming into the second half with just a one-point advantage after freshman Trey Johnson dropped in a free throw to give MU the lead at the break, 33-32, junior Pat Dumais kicked off the scoring on the restart with a quick layup.
Senior Danny Ferry added more to the lead two minutes later with a three pointer, but the Lions weren't going away, chipping away at the deficit before retaking the lead by the 12:45 mark of the second half. Following Ferry's long ball, PSU answered with 10-straight points to push a six-point advantage, 44-38.
It wasn't a deficit the Saints couldn't overcome though, using a 10-point stretch themselves to retake the lead with six minutes remaining in regulation, 50-48. Anderson ignited the run with a strong drive for the and-one finish. Sophomore D'Ondre Stockman added a jump shot before Anderson ripped down a defensive rebound on the next Lions' series to take it coast-to-coast for the layup. Senior Colin Burkhart added a free throw in the stretch, while Stockman capped off the run with a finish inside to give the Saints back the advantage.
In the closing minutes, the lead swayed several times. With just two minutes remaining, the Saints saw Anderson drive the baseline again to draw contact and get the finish, earning the three-point play to push a four-point lead over the Lions. PSU wasn't done fighting however, answering with two free throws and a long ball from the left corner with 58 seconds left to take back over the lead, 62-61.
Two timeouts were called before the final basket was made, a basket in favor of the Saints with 19 seconds remaining that Stockman drove in for the layup and the 63-62 lead. The Lions had one last opportunity on the other end coming out of a timeout, but a great defensive series by Marymount only allowed a short contested three-point attempt as time expired.
Anderson's game-high 21 points was one of three Saints that finished in double figures, seeing Ferry knock in 16 and Stockman add 11. Burkhart commanded the paint on the defensive end with a game-high nine rebounds.
The men are back in action on Saturday, February 13, as they travel down 95 to CAC rival Mary Washington for another conference battle. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.