Overtime Thriller favors Men's Basketball in 88-85 win Friday

QUINCY, Mass. – Playing its first overtime contest this season, the University of Dallas men's basketball team (1-3) captured the first victory of 2015-16 in 88-85 fashion on Friday over Curry College (0-5). The game was on a neutral court, hosted by Saturday's opponent, Eastern Nazarene College. 

The Crusaders orchestrated a 10-1 run that began with a string of six unanswered points to take a lead that would be not be relinquished in the extra regulation. UD's largest advantage at that moment was eight points (87-79). That gap would be too much for the Colonels to overcome, as they tied the game once as time expired on a layup by Paul Preziosi in the second half.

Sophomore Lorenzo Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas) had pushed Dallas ahead, 75-73, with seven seconds remaining in regulation on a pair of free throws. The Navy and White were trying to hold onto a tight contest that witnessed a resilient CC squad nip a 70-63 deficit a 10-3 scoring span in the final two and a half minutes.

In overtime, UD got on the board with a jumper from junior Michael Sarrat (Colleyville, Texas) following a missed three-pointer from Trey Jones. His teammate, Tim Flanagan, would connect on a trey on the next Colonels' possession to lift his squad in front one final time before the Crusader took off.

Junior Tom Kaiser (Nashville, Tenn.) made the big play by snatching a critical offensive rebound and drawing a foul to get to the line. His two field goals from the charity stripe tied and gave UD the edge to begin the overtime run.

Curry did not go away however, as it sank six of the final seven points in the remaining 1:01 minutes. Still, James Pina's trifecta cut the deficit to one possession, but two missed attempts from beyond the arc would be off target, and the Crusaders snapped a three-game losing slide.

It was a quick start for Dallas, who jumped out from the opening tip on a 15-2 run. The 13 point advantage was the greatest of the contest for the Crusaders this game and largest margin of a lead for them in the young campaign.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Kaiser mustered a double-double with a career-high 22 points and was second on the team in rebounding with 12. Seven of those boards were on the offensive side of the glass. He also made four blocks.
• Four starters garnered double figure scoring performances. Behind the team's leading scorer was Sarrat with a season best 20 points.
• Joining the quartet included: freshman Prince Giadolor (Rockwall, Texas) with 17, and Gonzalez with 14. The duo each dished four assists apiece.
• Sophomore Austin DiCambio (Huntington Beach, Calif.) snatched a personal best and game-high 13 rebounds. First time this year, UD had two players reach double figures in this category. Outrebounded Curry 45-37.
• From the field, Dallas shot 48.5-percent to the Colonels' 43.5-percent. Curry hit a 36.4 shooting percentage (12-for-33) compared to UD's 28.6-clip (4-for-14). UD tallied 52 points in the paint.
• Preziosi notched a game-high 23 points and notched nine rebounds. Flanagan contributed 18 points, while Trey Jones and Luke Schreiner added 14 and 12, respectively. The bench of CC compiled 39 points compared to 15 for Dallas.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH SAMPLES

"I thought we battled hard the entire game. We were very aggressive tonight. We did a great job on the glass and we were able to get to the free throw line. Tom Kaiser played fantastic and impacted the game on both ends of the floor. It was not a pretty win, but we found a way to get a W on the road. We now have to get ready for another tough battle tomorrow." – Head Coach Jarred Samples

UP NEXT

Dallas will continue the "Thanksgiving Classic" by heading to the campus of Curry College on Saturday. The Crusaders take on Eastern Nazarene College at 1 p.m. (EST).