By Chris Schmidbauer, Sports Information Director
Toledo, OH -- After trailing by 23 at halftime, the Owens Men's Basketball staged a furious comeback that fell three point short against Bryant & Stratton on Wednesday night. The Express were actually able to take a one point lead twice in the game's final four minutes, but the Bobcats made a crucial layup off a turnover with nine seconds remaining, to seal the fate of the Express.
Owens had a chance to tie the game as time expired, but Aamir Solomon's three did not fall, and the Express lost 74-71.
The comeback started when Jordan Grayson got hot from behind the arc. Grayson hit a pair of threes on consecutive possessions, one of which ended up as a four point play after a Bobcat foul. The seven points cut the Bryant & Stratton lead to 11 with 9:35 to play in the second half. A pair of DiMarius Hill layups would cut the Bobcat lead to just single digits, and then Solomon would nail to three pointers from the left wing to put the Express down just three points with 5:56 to play in the ball game.
Owens would tie the game up at 66 all on a pair of free throws by Kemet Hartman with 4:39 to play in the game to set up a furious finish for both teams. The two teams would trade the lead a twice down the stretch, and Sharif Saleem's layup with 32 second left tied the score at 71. But Owens would send the Bobcats' De'sean Reed to free throw line where he made the first but missed his second. Owens would grab the rebound, but Antonio Solomon would steal the ball and make a a layup to seal the Express's fate.
Owens had four players finish in double figures. Aamir Solomon led the Express with 20 points on 8-18 shooting from the floor. He also finished with four rebounds and three assists. Sharif Saleem his second double-double of the season, finishing with 10 points and a team high eleven rebounds on the night.
Jordan Grayson would finish with 14 points, six rebounds and five steals, while fellow freshman, DiMarius Hill, finished with 12 points and four rebounds.
Owens fell to 2-16 overall, and they remain winless in the conference at 0-6.
The Express are scheduled to be in action again this Saturday afternoon against Clark State at home. With inclement weather expected in the Northwest Ohio on Saturday, a decision on whether the game will be postponed will be made before the end of the week. Should the Express play the Eagles on Saturday, tip off is scheduled for 3 PM at the SHAC. Stay tuned to OwensExpress.com and the Owens Athletics Twitter feed regarding this weekend's games.