By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Toledo, Ohio---Shaakir Lindsey (Teaneck/Teaneck, N.J.) scored 10 points in extra time as the No. 12 Owens Community College men's basketball team upset No. 5 Mott Community College 84-79 in double overtime tonight in the SHAC.
The win came despite the fact Owens shot just 24-for-70 (34.3 percent) from the field, missed numerous easy shots down low and missed 13 free throws. Hurting Mott was a 2-for-17 performance from 3-point range and 25 turnovers, although Owens coughed it up 25 times, as well.
In the first half, Owens came out shaky as Mott took a 21-9 lead over the game's first eight minutes. Mott's Darryl Lavert chipped in nine points during the stretch.
Throughout the rest of the first half, however, Owens gradually chipped away at its deficit, closed the half on a 6-1 run, and pulled within three (34-31) to end a low scoring first half.
Mott began the second half on a 4-0 run to push its lead back up to seven, but Owens responded somewhat quickly to eventually take the lead with 11:19 remaining. Down 44-39 with 13:29 left, Kenny Jones (Clay/South Bend, Ind.) hit a jumper, while Edmond Early Jr. (Thurgood Marshall/Dayton, Ohio) made a pair of free throws and hit a 3-pointer to give Owens a two point lead with just over 11 minutes left.
The rest of regulation played out in a back-and-forth manner as there were five ties and five lead changes. The biggest shot at the end of regulation came from Darren Groves (Thurgood Marshall/Dayton, Ohio), who hit a second chance 3-pointer with 31 seconds left to tie the game at 62-all.
In the final 30 seconds, Mott and Owens exchanged turnovers before a last second shot fell short for Mott. Owens had a chance to win it with 3.2 seconds, but turned the ball over after inbounding the ball trying to go full court. Mott's Malik Young stole the ball and missed a running jumper from near the foul line as regulation expired.
In the first OT, Owens got a 3-pointer from Lindsey to start a 6-0 run to begin the period. Mott answered back with four straight before Lindsey hit two free throws to make it 70-66 with 1:15 left.
Mott's Matt Place answered with a lay-up, Lindsey turned the ball over and Mott's Austin Daniels hit a lay-up to tie the game at 70-all with 48 seconds left. After a timeout, Mott's defensive pressure forced a tough jumper from Jones, who had his shot bounce off the rim. Mott's Lavert missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to force double overtime.
In the second extra session, Mott took a two point lead over the first three minutes. However, Jones hit a lay-up, followed by fast break lay-ups from Pete Firlik (Catholic Central/Grand Rapids, Mich.) and John Murry (North Central/Indianapolis, Ind.) that gave Owens a 78-74 lead, and it was a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
The closest Mott got down the stretch was four on two occasions via a 3-pointer from Daniels with 18 seconds left and a lay-up from Daniels with 11 seconds left. Meanwhile, Lindsey made five free throws, while Murry made one free throw to seal the upset.
Despite fouling out with 1:32 left in the first OT, Groves had game-highs in points (21) and rebounds (15), while blocking two shots, which tied for the game-high. He finished 7-for-11 from the field, 1-for-3 from 3-point range and 6-for-8 from the foul line in 34 minutes.
Lindsey, who only had eight points through regulation, finished second on the team with 18 points, four rebounds, a game-high eight assists and a game-high four steals. Murry added 16 points and three steals, while Firlik was the fourth in double digit scoring with 10. He added six rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Mott (5-1) lost its first game of the season despite a team-high 17 points and 11 rebounds from Lavert. Justice Green added 16 and Daniels added 14.
Owens (8-2) will be back in action on Saturday at 3 p.m. vs Jackson College. The home game will be the final one before a six game road trip. They don't return home until Jan. 14 against Cuyahoga.