Box Score 101-98 Marks First Scots Loss Since November
MARYVILLE – Hot-shooting LaGrange made the plays when it counted and walked off with a 101-98 overtime decision against No. 11 Maryville on Senior Day here Saturday afternoon.
The Panthers improved to 7-2 in the USA South, including 4-0 away from home, after shooting nearly 63 percent from the floor in the second half. They then made 5-of-7 field goal attempts in the overtime period. Combined after intermission, LaGrange was 27-of-42 from the field for 64.3 percent.
Maryville, which lost for the first time since Nov. 28 at Emory and saw its 14-game winning streak come to an end, countered with just a 44.2-percent shooting rate over the course of the game. That included 2-of-15 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Maryville is now 18-2 overall and 8-1 in the USA South.
The Scots, after leading by 15 early in the second half, trailed 82-76 with 2½ minutes remaining before rallying to force an 87-87 tie at the end of regulation. Maryville then grabbed leads of 89-87 and 94-93 but couldn't hold off the Panthers.
"It looked bleak, and we found a way to get into overtime," Maryville head coach Raul Placeres said. "Myles and Felix were really good down the stretch, and Caleb came up big. We were fantastic all day from the free throw line (28-of-30), but we were otherwise out of sync.
"Credit LaGrange for coming in and playing hard. It looked like they didn't have a chance when they got down 15, but their seniors came up big for them."
A Statistical Dead Heat
How even was this one? Try nine ties and 10 lead changes along with the crazy stat line that showed LaGrange leading for 20:22 and Maryville in front for 20:05 out of the 45 minutes.
Myles Rasnick led all scorers with 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting. Felix Uadiale added 18 points and 14 boards for his fifth double-double of the season. JR Sanders scored 15 points to go with five assists, and Jekobe Coleman tossed in 10 points.
LaGrange opened a 22-14 lead on Cooper Dolhancyk's 3-pointer with 11:52 left before half. But the Scots answered with a 25-9 run and sprinted in front 39-31 after Rasnick's jumper in the lane with 2:19 showing. Maryville led 41-35 at the break.
The Scots opened the second half on a 13-4 run and bolted in front 54-39 on Uadiale's layup with 15:24 remaining. But that was the high-water mark, and it wasn't long before LaGrange's sharp shooting drew the Panthers back into the game.
Panthers Got Red Hot
LaGrange after the 15-point deficit proceeded to make 12 of its next 13 shots and outscored Maryville 38-16 over a 10½-minute stretch. The Panthers led 77-70 lead on Kyle Brown's bucket with 4:48 to play.
Kaleb Powell's layup with eight seconds remaining forced the overtime at 87-87, and Maryville scored first in OT on a bucket by Uadiale. But LaGrange kept the hot shooting hand in the extra session and walked off with a big win in the USA South conference race.
Brown scored 21 of his team-high 25 points after halftime to lead five Panthers in double-figures.
Maryville's 98 points matched a season-high, while LaGrange eclipsed 100 points for the fourth time this season.
"I'm going to let this sit for a little bit and then get back to work, analyze what I can do better and how I can help my team moving forward," Placeres said. "Counting today, we've got four games in a week's time. But this is what sports is all about. Now we are facing a little bit of adversity, so let's see if we can make this coming week a better one than how we feel today."
Senior Day Recognitions
The program recognized five seniors before the game, and Placeres had this to say:
"Jevon Crane was part of our program for three years on the court but wanted to focus on his academics. He has a great internship with Northwestern Mutual, and he has a job already line up after he graduates. I'm proud of what he has meant to the program. He's a fantastic student who has been on the Dean's List, and I couldn't be happier that he stuck with us and helped us this year as a student manager.
"Kyle Creasy is another good young man and another honor-roll student. He really has developed as a student coach, and he brings a lot of valuable information to us. I'm really thankful to him and his efforts over his four years.
"Dalton Coleman is a young man from a small town here in Tennessee who has played for us and gotten in a few starts, like he did tonight. He always has produced and played hard for us. Someone who is the ultimate teammate, and I'm really proud of him and his commitment to the program. He made the Dean's List, and when we were recruiting him, he was nervous about the college experience. But once he got here, he worked extremely hard and became a great student-athlete."
"Nicholas Clifton is a four-year player for us who overcame an injury in his sophomore year. He has won two conference tournament championships, one regular season championship and is helping us lead the league right now. He will finish with close to 500 rebounds despite the shortened Covid season and missing all those games as a sophomore. He is an incredible ambassador for our program and a Bonner Scholar here at school. He also has been on the Dean's List, an education major who is going to make a fantastic teacher."
"And my fifth-year senior, JR Sanders, who has been with us through everything. The transformation for him as a person and his game from playing a little bit as a freshman, playing a little more as a sophomore, becoming a starter his junior year, being a first-team All-Conference guy, being voted team MVP and team captain and now walking the stage here in May.
"It's been great for all five guys. I get a front-row seat to watch the development of 18-year-olds ready to tackle the demands that the real world brings. I'm happy and thankful for their hard work, their commitment and their perseverance throughout this journey they undertook with us here at Maryville College."
