02/19/2009

Spartans Pull Away in Overtime 74-66

Boxscore

Bronxville, NY - Despite a game high 16 points and a game high 11 rebounds from sophomore William Eason (Springfield, MA), the Concordia College men's basketball team lost a 74-66 decision to the Spartans of St. Thomas Aquinas College last night at the Meyer Athletic Center in Bronxville, NY.

Sophomore Samuel Batista (Carolina, Puerto Rico) scored 14 points and senior Alban Shala (Yorktown Heights, NY) added 13 points. Both players shot 50% from the floor, as Batista went 6 for 12 and Shala was 5 for 10 for the game.  Junior Kenny Gaskins (Bronx, NY) finished with 8 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals.

For St. Thomas Aquinas, Ra' Shad James tallied 16 points and 4 assists. Akeem Comas finished with 14 points and 4 rebounds and teammate Chris Williams had 13 points and 4 rebounds. Ahmed Allen chipped in 11 points and 5 rebounds.

In the second half, back-to-back 3-pointers by Shala and Batista gave the Clippers a 41-30 lead with just under 15 minutes left to play. St. Thomas Aquinas would battle back and take a 54-50 lead on consecutive 3-pointers by Williams. A pair of foul shots and a jumper by Eason tied the score at 54-54 at the 4:31 mark.

Both teams traded baskets and Concordia would extend the lead to 4 points with free throws by junior Troy Young (Largo, MD) with a minute in regulation. The Spartans would eventually tie the game with 4 free throws down the stretch. The Clippers had one last chance to win the game in regulation, but Eason's turn around jumper was off the mark and the game went into overtime tied at 61-61.

In the overtime period, the Spartans scored the first 8 points to take control of the game with over a minute remaining. The Clippers were 1 for 6 (16.7%) in the extra frame, compared to the Spartans who shot 4 for 7 (57.1%) in overtime.

The loss drops the Clippers to 6-21 overall and 4-11 in the East Coast Conference. St. Thomas Aquinas improves to 9-14 on the season and 7-8 in conference play.

The Clippers will return to action on Saturday, February 21st, as they host the Mavericks of Mercy College at the Meyer Athletic center. Concordia downed Mercy 73-67 on January 21st in Dobbs Ferry, NY. Eason had a monster game with 17 points and 20 rebounds. Batista led the way with 18 points in that contest. The game will begin at 3:00 PM.