Men's Basketball Edges Regis in Triple Overtime Thriller

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

WESTON, Mass. - In a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) battle, three overtimes were needed as Elms College defeated hosted Regis College, 92-90, at Higgins Court Saturday afternoon.

Tied 8-8 after the opening five minutes, the Pride gained control over the scoreboard with an 11-4 run over the next five minutes, behind five points from sophomore forward Sam Jean-Gilles (Melrose, Mass.), to take a 19-12 lead. The Blazers rallied back with a 7-3 run to pull within a possession, followed by four straight points from junior guard Jerry Buchanon (Windsor, Conn.) to give the Elms their first lead, 25-24, with 2:58 on the clock. The Blazers maintained their lead in the final minutes of the half as the squads exchanged buckets, taking a 33-29 lead into halftime.

The Pride came out of the break on a 7-3 run with a jumper from Jean-Gilles tying the game at 36-36 with 18:24 remaining. Elms regained a 42-36 lead, but Regis chipped away and regained a 45-44 lead on a layup from sophomore forward Jaiwon Martin (Coral Springs, Fla.) at the 10:34 mark. The Blazers connected on six consecutive free throws to grab a 50-49 left with 6:02 on the clock. Elms paced the Pride for the next five minutes, but Regis pulled even at 57-57 on a three-point play from senior forward Ethan Peana (Staten Island, N. Y.) with 1:16 remaining, sending the game to overtime.

Tied 59-59, the Blazers pulled ahead 63-59 on free throws from sophomore forward Joshua Brunson (Springfield, Mass.) and a layup from sophomore guard Sirvaughn Hobdy (Atlanta, Ga.) with 1:39 left in the first overtime. Regis junior guard Jeff Tagger Jr. (Brockton, Mass.) converted a layup to cut the Pride deficit to 63-62, and then drew a late foul, earning a pair of throws. Tagger Jr. netted one of two attempts, sending the contest to a second overtime tied 63-63.

After exchanging buckets to open the period, the Pride gained the a 71-67 advantage on back-to-back three-pointers from junior guard Chris Keaton (Beverly, Mass.) at the 2:38 mark. Trailing 73-71 with under a minute to play, the Blazers were forced to foul. Tagger Jr. made a pair of free throws, followed by a pair from junior guard Jordan Monts (Springfield, Mass.), to maintain a 77-73 lead for Regis. On the ensuing possession, Buchanon knocked down a three-pointer to pull the Blazers within a point, 77-76. After a pair of free throws from Monts, Buchanon took a pass from junior guard Piere Simpson (East Hartford, Conn.) and buried a contested, buzzer-beating three-pointer to force a third overtime period.

The squads traded three-pointers to open the frame, and a trey from Regis junior guard Hector Heredia (Lawrence, Mass.) at the 2:43 mark gave the Pride an 86-85 lead. A jumper from Buchanon gave the Blazers an 89-88 advantage, but Regis regained the lead on free throws from Tagger Jr. With 30 seconds to play, Elms junior guard Tim Putnam (Springfield, Mass.) gathered an offensive rebound and found Brunson to a layup to stake the Blazers to a 91-90 lead. Tagger Jr. was unable to answer on the Pride possession, and a free throw from Brunson put Elms up 92-90. Regis had an opportunity to tie the game, but Jean-Gilles missed a layup, and his putback attempt was blocked by Brunson, securing the 92-90 victory for Elms.

Buchanon led all scorers with a game-high 27 points, along with seven rebounds and two steals. Senior forward Kenny Lockett (Atlanta, Ga.) registered his second straight double-double with a season-high 23 points and 11 rebounds. Simpson posted season-highs in points (18) and assists (9), with five rebounds and two steals. Brunson tallied seven points and six rebounds off the bench. 

Regis had four scorers reach double-digit point totals, led by 20-point efforts from Jean-Gilles and Tagger Jr. Jean Gilles added eight rebounds and six assists, while Tagger Jr had four rebounds and four assists. Peana chipped in 10 points and five boards, and Monts had 10 points, four rebounds, and three assists in the loss.

The Blazers and the Pride finisehd even in rebounding at 44-44. Elms connected on 41.8% (33-of-79) from the field, including 37.5% (6-of-16) from three-point, and 74.1% (20-of-27) from the free throw line. Regis shot 45.2% (28-of-62) from the floor, 42.9% (9-of-21) from three-point, and 67.6% (25-of-37) from the foul line.

With the win, Elms moves to 6-7 overall, and 5-0 in NECC play, while Regis drops to 8-6, and 3-2 on the season. The Blazers will return to the court when Newbury College visits Picknelly Arena Tuesday night at 6:00 p.m. The Pride hosts Mitchell College Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

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