SAINTS TAKE ITHACA IN OVERTIME, 85-81

Dec. 14: Sophomore guard Josh Sharlow (Norwood, NY/Norwood-Norfolk) got the St. Lawrence men’s basketball team back on track after leading them to an 85-81 overtime win over the Ithaca Bombers in non-conference action in Ben Light Gymnasium late Friday night.

 

Sharlow, who posted a career-high of 29 points, also tallied seven rebounds, three assists, and a game-high five steals to help get the Saints out of a four-game losing streak. He was 8-for-15 from the court and 4-for-7 from beyond the arc while shooting 9-for-10 from the line.

 

In a game that included eight ties and ten lead changes, Ithaca gained an early lead of 3 before senior Tyler Wright (Teaneck, NJ/Paramus Catholic) and Sharlow both made consecutive lay-ups a minute apart to give the Saints a slight edge. The Bombers would get back into the mead for a moment, but St. Lawrence regained the lead within ten seconds after a three-pointer from junior captain Tom Wopperer (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius).

 

The Saints were up by as much as 6 with 11:40 to go before Ithaca would chip away at the lead and bring it back within one after a good three from Bomber Dominic Scanlon.

 

Ithaca regained a 19-18 edge over the visitors for a short time with 8:45 left on the clock before the two teams would battle to get out of going shot-for-shot. The Bombers took control with 6:53 left, increasing their lead by six points before St. Lawrence would outscore them in the last minutes 11-7 to bring the period to an end, with the Bombers just two points ahead, 34-32.

 

The half proved to be an eye-opener for Ithaca, as they came back out onto the court unwilling to let go of their lead. While the Saints were able to keep the game within reach, the Bombers maintained the lead until only 5:09 remained in regulation, when junior Bela Vonnak (Canajoharie, NY/Canajoharie) put up a good shot from the paint to tie the game for the third time, 65 a piece.

 

The Saints fought to increase their lead, but Ithaca’s Matt Ruger would tie the game 67-67 with only 2:25 on the clock. After a foul on St. Lawrence, Ruger was sent to the line and put another one in the basket to give his team a one-point advantage. Bomber Jeff Bostic would up their lead two more after shooting perfect from the line with 57 seconds left in the second period, but Wopperer would take that lead back down to one with a good jump shot.

 

Two more free-throw shots put Ithaca ahead 72-69 with :19 left, but sophomore Andy Hoercher (Auburn, NY/Auburn/Hotchkiss School) came up with a big three-pointer that would tie the game for the Saints 72-72 with only nine seconds left, forcing the teams to duke it out in overtime.

 

The battle continued in the five-minute overtime period, with Ithaca starting out strong and increasing their lead by three, but both Sharlow and Wright were unstoppable in the extra minutes, with Sharlow shooting perfect from the line, giving the Saints an 85-81 edge to end the game in favor of the Scarlet and Brown.

 

In addition to Sharlow, four other Saints posted point totals in the double digits. Wopperer put up 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Hoercher tallied 11 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Wright had 10 points, a team-high eight rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal. Vonnak also scored 10, while also accumulating six rebounds, one block and one steal to help St. Lawrence to the win.

 

The Saints shot 44% from the field, and 10-for-26 from behind the arc. They shot 75% from the free-throw line, a slight edge over the Bombers, who only shot 68%. St. Lawrence also held a 15-5 advantage in second chance points to help lift them past Ithaca.

 

St. Lawrence, now 2-4 overall, will travel to Daytona Beach, Florida for the Land of Magic Classic on December 28 th and 29 th. They will face Ripon College on the 28 th with the game beginning at 5:00pm, and host Embry-Riddle on the 29 th at 7:30pm.