Blue Jays Propel In Overtime To Defeat Eureka 82-71
The Westminster men’s basketball team outscored the Eureka Red Devils 16-5 in overtime to win the game 82-71. With the win, the Blue Jays are now ranked 5th in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) with a 7-4 record. They hold a 10-8 record for the season.
The Blue Jays put the first numbers on the board, but the Red Devils quickly tied the game up and took the lead. The Red Devils hit a 7-0 run to bring their lead to 19-11 with 13:20 to go in the first half. Two made free throws by senior Travis Cleveland brought the Blue Jays within 5 points, 20-25, with 8:41 remaining in the half.
In the final five minutes of the first half, junior Verdis Lee Jr. hit a three and two free throws and senior Joe James hit a jumper to cut the Blue Jays deficit to one point heading into halftime, 29-30.
The Red Devils held the lead throughout most of the second half until a short jumper by Lee Jr. tied the game up at 57-57 with 4:08 remaining in the game. The Blue Jays were unable to take the lead, but they tied the game up again at 62-62 and finally pulled the lead with 30 seconds remaining in the game (64-62).
With 7 seconds remaining in the game, the Blue Jays were up by one, 64-63, so the Red Devils resorted to fouling to stop the clock. James downed both free throws, taking the 66-63 lead, but the Red Devils pushed the ball up the court and drained a three-pointer to tie up the game and send it into overtime.
The Blue Jays scored just 4 points in the first two and a half minutes of overtime, but then scored 8 unanswered points. The Blue Jays held the Red Devils to just 5 points in overtime, bringing home the 82-71 victory.
Lee Jr. scored a game high 25 points and finished the day with 4 blocks. He shot 50% from the field after going 10-for-20 and pulled down 7 rebounds. James added 21 points to the win, going 7-for-14 from the field and 7-for-7 from the foul line. He also pulled down 7 rebounds. Senior Jordan Jones grabbed the game high 10 rebounds.
The Blue Jays will see the court again next Saturday, February, 1, in Carlinville, Illinois as they face Blackburn College at 3:00 p.m.
