Case Western Reserve University graduate student guard Anthony Mazzeo scored a game-high 25 points, including three on a game-tying old-fashioned three-point play at the end of regulation, as the 13th-ranked Spartans thwarted an upset bid from Denison University with an 80-74 overtime win over the Big Red in Granville, Ohio on Saturday afternoon.

The Spartans remained undefeated on the season with the win, improving to 4-0 overall and extending their non-conference regular season winning streak to 24 consecutive contests. Denison fell to 1-3 with the loss.

It was the second-straight 20-point effort for Mazzeo, who scored 29 against La Roche on Wednesday and is now averaging a team-leading 18.5 points per game this season. He shot eight-of-12 overall on Saturday, including three-for-five from behind the three-point line, with three rebounds, an assist, and a steal.

Graduate student guard Richie Manigault scored a season-high 17 points on six-of-10 shooting from the floor and three-of-seven from long range while adding six rebounds. Graduate student forward Colin Kahl scored 16 points and had a team-high seven rebounds in the game,

The game remained close throughout the first half with neither team able to take more than a four-point lead in the frame. The Spartans maintained a narrow lead for much of the period and led 25-21 on a dunk by Manigault with 5:51 left in the half. However, Denison managed to to the game at 29-29 with 2:33 left and broke a 31-31 tie with under a minute left in the frame on a three from Trevor Reed to take a 34-31 lead into halftime.

Manigault hit a three to start the second half and even the score just 16 seconds into the period. CWRU led by as many as six points in the second half, going ahead 50-44 on a layup by Kahl with 12:27 to play, but the Big Red would not go away, coming back to regain the lead by the 7:46 mark. Denison led by four, 68-64, with a minute left in the game when junior guard Sam Trunley was fouled on a three-point attempt and hit all three free throws to cut the lead to a point. A pair of free throws by the Big Red pushed their lead back to three, 70-67, with 41 seconds left, but Mazzeo answered by making a driving layup and was fouled on the play, tying the game at 70-70 on the resulting free throw with 28 seconds left. Denison would be unable to score in their final possession, sending the game into overtime.

After neither team scored through the first 90 seconds of overtime, back-to-back layups by Trunley and Mazzeo put the Spartans ahead 74-70 with three minutes left. A Denison free throw with 1:58 to go made it a one-possession game again, but a jumper by Mazzeo and a free throw from Trunley put CWRU ahead 77-71 with under a minute left. Mazzeo and Manigault each hit free throws in the final minute to lock down the win for the Spartans.

CWRU finished the game shooting 47.3% (26-55) overall including 24.0% (6-25) from behind the three-point line. The Spartans finished the game with a 38-30 edge in points in the paint.

Saturday was the Spartans' first overtime game since last season, when CWRU defeated Rochester 90-87 on February 10.

The Spartans will be off for the next 11 days before returning to action on Wednesday, November 29 at 7:00 p.m., against Capital University in Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland.