Moravian Edges Bridgewater in Two Overtimes

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BRIDGEWATER, Va. – Moravian's Sean Hanna scored on a driving layup with 13 seconds left in the second overtime to give the Greyhounds a one-point lead and the visitors came up with a huge stop at the defensive end on the next possession to escape with a 94-92 victory Friday evening over Bridgewater College in the second game of the BC/Don Glick Classic.

Hanna's driving layup in traffic put the Greyhounds up 93-92 and the Eagles then worked the ball into the front-court and called timeout with 10 seconds left. Bridgewater inbounded the ball to Bryce Boggs and he drove to the left baseline where Moravian's C.J. Barnes stepped in and drew a charging foul with five seconds left.

Bridgewater fouled Hanna with 3.5 seconds left and the Greyhounds' guard made the first foul shot for a two-point lead. Hanna missed the second foul shot but Moravian controlled the offensive rebound to clinch the 94-92 double-overtime victory.

The game was nip-and-tuck throughout as the largest lead of the night was six points. The Eagles held a six-point lead early while the Greyhounds led by six, 50-44, with 12 minutes left in regulation.

A layup by Brandon McGuire put the visitors on top 68-64 with 2:04 remaining in regulation. Bridgewater's Jesse Case missed a 3-pointer on the next possession but Boggs grabbed the offensive board and converted a three-point play to pull the Eagles within one, 68-67.

After a flurry of turnovers, the Greyhounds had possession with less than a minute left. With the shot clock winding down, Oneil Holder missed a short jumper and Efe Balfour controlled the rebound for the Eagles. Bridgewater worked the ball inside to Balfour who was fouled with 22 seconds left. Balfour made 1-of-2 free throws to tie the score at 68-68.

Moravian turned the ball over with five seconds left, giving the Eagles a chance to win with the last shot. Boggs got a good look at a 3-pointer, but the shot rattled in-and-out at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.

Saylor scored first in the first OT to give the Eagles the lead, but McGuire answered to tie the score at 70-70. A layup by Holder put the Greyhounds up by two before Saylor hit 1-of-2 foul shots to trim the Moravian lead to one 72-71 with 2:01 on the clock.

A three-point play by McGuire put the visitors on top by four, 75-71, with just 45 seconds remaining. Two free throws by Balfour cut the margin to two, but Holder responded with two foul shots to push the Moravian lead back to four, 77-73, with 26 seconds left.

 A layup by Balfour cut the margin back to two and the Eagles fouled Hanna with eight seconds left. Hanna made the first foul shot, but missed the second. The Eagles controlled the rebound and Phil Baumgartner pushed the ball into the offensive zone and found Saylor on the left wing. Saylor stepped into a 25-footer with three seconds left and the shot found nothing but net to tie the score at 78-78, forcing the second overtime.

Boggs scored 21 points to lead four Eagles in double figures. Saylor scored 16 points, followed by Balfour with 15 and Baumgartner with 13.

McGuire led the Greyhounds with 22 points and 16 rebounds. A bucket late in regulation put the Moravian senior over the 1,000-point mark for his career. Holder added 20 points and Hanna scored 14. Jimmy Murray and Barnes chipped in with 10 points each.

McGuire's huge night on the glass led the Greyhounds to a slim 53-50 rebounding edge. Boggs and Keonte Dennis each grabbed eight boards to lead the Eagles.

Foul-shooting plagued the Eagles throughout the game and as a result Moravian scored eight more points from the charity stripe. The Greyhounds made 31-of-40 free throws while the Eagles made just 23-of-36 for 63.9 percent.