Box Score The Mary Baldwin men's basketball team dropped its regular-season finale to Pfeiffer, 67-65, in a game that came down to the final seconds.
Before tipoff, Mary Baldwin honored seniors
Harrison Black and
Raymond Benton for their contributions to the program during Senior Night festivities.
Once the game began, the teams traded baskets throughout the first half. Benton led the offense early, scoring 11 points in the opening half, while sophomore
DJ Via added nine points, including a 3-pointer that gave the Fighting Squirrels a two-point lead with 7:27 remaining.
Pfeiffer responded with a 13-4 run to take a seven-point lead with 3:21 left in the half. Mary Baldwin cut the deficit to four before halftime, trailing 39-35.
In the second half, the Fighting Squirrels found their rhythm from beyond the arc, shooting 40%. Junior
Corey Easton caught fire from 3-point range, knocking down two 3-pointers.
With 9:59 remaining, the Falcons built their largest lead of the game at 13 points. Mary Baldwin battled back with strong offensive rebounding and timely turnovers. A steal by Easton led to a Benton 3-pointer that cut Pfeiffer's lead to five.
The teams continued to trade baskets as Pfeiffer maintained a slim advantage. With 33 seconds remaining, Pfeiffer's Doug Smith hit a 3-pointer to push the lead back to five. Via answered on the other end with a clutch 3-pointer to energize the home crowd.
With five seconds left, freshman
Mason Wynne had a final opportunity, but tight defense forced a difficult shot as time expired.
Mary Baldwin finishes the regular season 11-13 overall and 5-9 in conference play. The Fighting Squirrels will open the playoffs on the road against No. 3 seed Southern Virginia on Tuesday, Feb. 24.
The Knights swept the two regular-season meetings. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
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Notes:
- Leading Scorers:
- MBU:
- PFU:
- Clayton Robinson-15
- Doug Smith-13
- Points in the Paint
- Second Chance Points
- Assists:
- Blocks
