Box Score Maryville 9-1 After Late Shot Lifts Scots 85-84
HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. – Myles Rasnick did what Myles Rasnick does.
Struggling with his shot all day, Maryville's junior guard listened in the huddle as head coach Raul Placeres drew up a play for either Rasnick or JR Sanders with 19 seconds remaining and the team trailing by one point.
Rasnick then took a pass from Sanders near the 3-point line, the clock winding down. He dribbled right, fought off a nudge from the Hampden-Sydney defender and swished a 15-foot, fadeaway baseline jumper with 3.9 seconds left to send the Scots home with a thrilling 85-84 victory.
"He's clutch, just so clutch," Placeres said of Rasnick. "It was no surprise to me that he made it because I see him making that shot every day in practice. And the best part is, his teammates believe in him too."
It's only December, but Sunday's game between No. 23 Maryville and the host Tigers had that distinctive NCAA-type feel. Maryville improved to 9-1 heading into its upcoming Las Vegas trip, while Hampden-Sydney suffered just its second loss in nine games.
"We dominated from start to finish for the bulk of this game," Placeres said. "We just lost our composure there for a short period late, and good teams take advantage. That's going to happen. But what a great way to head into the holidays at 9-1."
Almost Slipped Away
The host Tigers outscored Maryville 23-8 over a late 4-minute stretch to nearly steal this one.
After the Scots claimed their largest leads at 73-59 with 5:05 remaining and then 75-61 with 4:05 left, Hampden-Sydney's full-court press forced Maryville into five turnovers – the last four of which led to points.
H-SC scored seven in a row and took the lead for the first time since 2-0 when Alex Elliott's 3-pointer with 49 seconds showing made it 82-81 Tigers. Sanders answered with a pair of free throws on the other end but then Hampden-Sydney reclaimed the lead on Josiah Hardy's running bank shot that made it 84-83 with 19 seconds left, setting the stage for Rasnick's heroics.
"I had to compose myself," Placeres said of that last team huddle before victory. "But I looked the guys in the eyes and talked about finishing. That was our word for the weekend: finishing.
"We wanted to take our best shot. It was either going to be Myles or JR; we could have gone either way. I drew up what I wanted us to do, and the guys executed. Our guys make me a better coach because they make plays like that. Myles hit a similar winner last year at Covenant, so the moment wasn't too big."
It wasn't Rasnick's day from the floor – he was just 1-of-10 when taking that final attempt. But the junior guard made the most of his free throw opportunities by going 11-or-12, including eight in a row over the last 5½ minutes. He finished with 15 points.
Season-High for Sanders
Sanders was the Maryville scoring leader with a season-high 19. Chase Ridenour scored 13 and Jekobe Coleman and Kordell Kah added 10 apiece. Felix Uadiale contributed nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
In the opening half, the first 10 minutes belonged to the Scots. Maryville raced a 26-13 lead thanks to seven early points from both Sanders and Uadiale, and 3-pointers from Ridenour and Coleman. Hampden-Sydney then answered with runs of 9-0 and 11-2 to draw within 42-41 by intermission.
Maryville shot just 39 percent from the floor but a season-best 31-of-40 at the stripe saved the Scots, including a 19-of-22 effort over the final 10 minutes. Only an 8-of-10 performance against Asbury was better percentagewise than Sunday's 77.5, and the previous season highs were 16 made against Birmingham-Southern and 24 attempted versus Huntingdon.
The Scots stand 2-0 against the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and 3-0 versus the Southern Athletic Association. Both are key measuring sticks come NCAA tournament time, and only one of those five wins came at home.
Maryville is back in action Dec. 28-29 at the D3hoops/Las Vegas Invitational. The Scots take on Pacific Lutheran on Dec. 28 at 9 p.m. Pacific time (midnight Eastern) and UC Santa Cruz one day later at 7 p.m. Pacific time (10 p.m. Eastern).
