Men’s Basketball outlasts Wells College in overtime nail-biter

PITTSBURGH --- Carlow University men's basketball outscored Wells (N.Y.) College 12-8 in overtime to claim its first Allegheny Mountain College Conference victory Saturday.

The Celtics (3-5, 1-1 AMCC) defeated the Express (1-7, 0-2 AMCC), 88-84.

Byron Gaskins and Galen Waters led all scorers with 19 points apiece. Gaskins added three assists and two steals, and Waters went 5 for 5 from the foul line.

Oscar Contreras made three of Carlow's eight treys to add 13 points, adding two steals and an assist.

Nehemiah Brazil went 6 for 6 from the foul line, scoring 12 points and dishing out three assists.

Gavin McLain tallied 12 points, nine boards, four blocks and three assists.

McLain put down a huge dunk five minutes in to set the tone for the Celtics, who led 14-9 at the time. The marginal lead was short-lived, as a Wells three-pointer tied the game 16-all with just over 11 minutes remaining in the first half. The Express gained the lead a minute later with a tip-in.

A trey from Gaskins put Carlow back on top, 19-18, and he assisted on a fastbreak layup to Jimmy Giannetta to give the Celtics a three-point lead.

A Waters trey put Carlow up six, but back-to-back layups from the Express cut the Celtics' lead to two.

With just over a minute left to play in the half, a foul sent the Express to the line where they converted both free throws to gain a 37-36 advantage.

Carlow returned the favor as Griffin Ruhlman hit one of his two foul shots to tie the score, 37-all, as time ran out in the first half.

Neither team would score until two minutes into the second half, when McLain made a layup to break the stalemate.

A Giannetta three-pointer five minutes in put Carlow up, 47-41, but the Express continued to chip away at Carlow's lead. The Celtics managed to stay out in front for the next three minutes, but Wells tied the score 54-all with a made free throw at the 12-minute mark.

Carlow refused to relinquish its lead, pulling ahead every time the Express managed to get close.

A Wells layup with seven minutes remaining in regulation gave the Express an advantage they carried through the next three minutes.

Waters sank a free throw to tie it, 68-all, but a Wells layup immediately followed.

The Express led, 76-73, with under a minute left in regulation, but Gaskins came in clutch with a trey to tie the score.

With less than 18 seconds left on the clock, McLain blocked a layup attempt to keep Carlow in the game and force overtime.

Once again, both teams struggled to score at the start of the overtime period, but Gaskins sank a free throw to give Carlow the edge.

A Ruhlman fastbreak layup put the Carlow up by five with a minute left to play, but the Express would not back down. Wells continued to battle, keeping within three to five points of the Celtics as time dwindled off the clock.

A tip-in gave Wells hope, trailing Carlow 86-84 with 10 seconds remaining.

The Express were forced to foul to regain possession, but Waters sank both of his free throws to secure Carlow's victory in the final seconds.

Billy McCrae led the Express with a double-double 18 points and 15 rebounds, and four other Wells players tallied double figures in the effort.

Wells held a narrow 46-43 margin in rebounding over the Celtics, but Carlow outscored the Express 32-29 off the bench.

The Celtics shot 71 percent (22 for 31) from the charity stripe on the night.

Carlow hosts Pitt Greensburg for a 7 p.m. AMCC game Dec. 6.