The Mary Baldwin men's basketball team dropped a hard-fought 73–69 overtime decision to Pfeiffer University after battling back from an early deficit on Saturday night.
The Fighting Squirrels struggled to find their rhythm early, shooting just 33 percent from the field in the first half. Pfeiffer capitalized on the cold shooting, building a 29–21 halftime advantage. Sophomore
Rony Hogarth led Mary Baldwin in scoring during the opening half.
Doug Smith and Justin Gaten paced the Falcons early, combining for 18 first-half points to help Pfeiffer take the eight-point lead into the break.
Mary Baldwin turned up the offensive pressure in the second half, pouring in 42 points. Junior center,
Jamal Ukaegbu, energized the comeback with a thunderous dunk off a pinpoint entry pass from sophomore
Marquis Dunklin. Dunklin added 10 second-half points, finishing with a season-high 14.
Hogarth caught fire after halftime, scoring 13 points in the second half to lead all scorers during the period. The sophomore forward finished with a career-high 23 points, highlighted by a series of tough, contested baskets, including a fading turnaround jumper.
Sophomore
DJ Via provided a spark off the bench, knocking down three three-pointers on his way to nine second-half points and 12 total for the game.
The Fighting Squirrels tied the game at 61–61 with under a minute remaining. Dunklin attacked the lane but missed a layup, before senior
Raymond Benton secured the offensive rebound and converted the putback to give Mary Baldwin a two-point lead.
Pfeiffer's Sean Sucarichi answered at the other end, tying the game just before the buzzer to force overtime.
In the extra period, Pfeiffer outscored Mary Baldwin 10–6 to secure the victory.
Mary Baldwin returns home to Staunton to host Methodist University on Saturday, January 17, with tipoff set for 2:00 p.m.
Notes:
- Leading Scorers:
- MBU
- PFU
- Justin Gaten-18
- Doug Smith-17
- Sean Sucarichi-14
- Rebounding Leaders
- Points in the Paint
- Turnovers
- Bench Points
