SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Stevenson University men's basketball team advanced to the title game of the Wittenberg Holiday Classic on Tuesday, outlasting Manchester (Ind.) 90-88 in overtime.
 
The Mustangs (5-3) will advance to play host Wittenberg on Wednesday night.
 
Cameron Smith poured in a team-high 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting, while Nate Arrington also went 8-for-12 from the field with 20 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Ronald Ayers also scored 20 on 7-for-13 shooting as the Mustangs went 52.2 percent from the field in the contest.
 
Rasheed Cooley had 11 points for Stevenson, winners of three straight.
 
Manchester (5-4) got 29 points from Zach Sawyer and 25 from Bryan Smith. The Spartans, out of the Heartland Conference, rallied from a 16-point second half deficit to force the extra period.
 
Stevenson did trail by two with 23 seconds left before Ayers hit a jumper with four seconds left to tie the score at 76-all.
 
In the overtime, Stevenson trailed by five with 1:17 left (88-83) before Ayers sank a layup to cut the deficit to 88-85, then made the ensuing foul shot to get the Mustangs within two.
 
Smith's putback with 18 seconds left knotted the score at 88-all, with Smith sinking the game-winner with one tick left on an assist by Cameron Sapienza. Cooley had nine assists on the night with Sapienza dishing out five.
 
Both teams took care of the ball with the Mustangs making just eight turnovers in 45 minutes of play.