The University of Minnesota Duluth and the University of Mary really enjoy giving the fans free basketball. For the second time this season, the Bulldogs and the Marauders needed overtime to settle a victor and for the second time Mary found a way in the final seconds.
In December it was Dennis Austin III that had the big shot. Tonight, it was Jaylen White.
White just squeaked past his defender for an acrobat layup with 1.4 seconds left in the third overtime to lift the Marauders to a 100-98 win over UMD at Romano Gymnasium Friday night.
It was a heart breaking performance for the Bulldogs who battled back from a 14-point deficit in the second half and watched a five-point lead with 35 seconds to go in the second overtime vanish. UMD played in its first multiple-session overtime game since defeating Minot State University 80-78 in double overtime at home last season and the first triple overtime outing since Feb. 9, 1990, a 79-77 win at Winona State University.
Both clubs had numerous chances to pull out the win. Junior forward
Brandon Myer helped force the first overtime after converting both of his free throw attempts with five ticks remaining. With plenty of time left on the ensuing possession, Myer ripped the ball away and forced a turnover as regulation ended with a 73-73 stalemate. Only eight points were scored in the first overtime and the Marauders again missed an opportunity for the win sending a three hard off the back iron.
UMD roared out to the aforementioned five-point lead twice in the second overtime. Junior guard
Logan Rohrscheib knocked down a triple from the right wing to give the Bulldogs an 84-79 advantage. Senior
Sean Burns threw down an emphatic dunk from an excellent find from junior guard
Trevor Entwisle a bit later in the OT to lead 87-82 with 35 seconds. The Marauders hung in there and got bailed out with two missed free throws and nailed the game-tying triple with to force the third extra session.
The Bulldogs opened up another five-point cushion in the final overtime and slowly watched it wash away. UMD, who led in all three overtimes, received a big three from Entwisle to take a 96-93 lead. Mary countered with a layup and three free throws on a shooting foul in the corner the next two Marauder possessions. Myer came up clutch again tying the game at 98 off his own miss. The Bulldogs made the biggest mistake of the night looking for the stretch outlet for the easy bucket and ended up giving the ball back to Mary for the final shot.
White got the mismatch he wanted and somehow got it up and around the swarming block and laid it off the glass for his 24th and 25th points of the night, a team-high, and the knockout blow. White was one five scorers to hit double digits for the Marauders.
Three players scored at least 20 points for UMD including Myer who had a game-high 31 points. Burns added a career high 26 points and Rohrscheib chipped in 20 points as they become the first Bulldog trio since Jake Hottenstine, Ryan Rasmussen and Brett Ervin to each tally 20 or more points in the same game. That previous trio accomplished the feat back on Feb. 5, 2011.
Myer joined the elite company of Hottenstine, Rasmussen and Ervin to join the 1,000-point club. Myer, who needed five points to achieve the quadruple scoring mark, had his grand achievement overshadowed by the chaotic triple overtime. Myer reached the plateau on a breakaway dunk in the sixth minute of the opening half. With his dunk, Myer became the 38th Bulldog to hit the mark and first to accomplish the feat since Reece Zoelle back on Jan. 23, 2015. The Superior, Wis., native finished with 31 points, tying his season high, and pulled down 11 rebounds for his team-leading sixth double-double.
Burns set two new collegiate highs and tied two others. The senior tallied 26 points blowing past his previous high of 21 points he notched against Mary on the road earlier this season. He also corralled a game-high 15 rebounds, setting a new career mark. He also tied his collegiate best with three assists and three steals.
Entwisle flirted with a triple-double and joined in with personal bests of his own. The Neenah, Wis., native dished out 13 assists on the night to go along with eight points and nine rebounds. His 13 assists was the second most in the NSIC this season and just two shy of the single-game program record. No Bulldog had zipped out more assists than Entwisle dating back 13 seasons. Sean Seaman recorded 14 assists back on Dec. 10, 2005 at home against the University of North Dakota.
UMD wraps up the short two-game homestand tomorrow against Minot State University. The Bulldogs can clinch their second NSIC North Division season sweep starting at 5:30 p.m.
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