Bulldogs outdone by Pioneers in yet another overtime thriller, 73-70, Saturday afternoon

FAIRFIELD, CONN. – The rematch of the Jan. 14 triple overtime game did not disappoint, as sophomore Nisre Zouzoua (Brockton, Mass.) drained an improbable triple at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime. But a pair of extra frame triples from Quincy McKnight and his game-high 25 points fueled Sacred Heart to a 73-70 Northeast Conference win over the Bryant University men's basketball team Saturday afternoon.  

Down by six with five minutes to play, the Bulldogs (8-17, 5-7 NEC) tied the contest with 1:41 left on an up-and-under Zouzoua layup, 55-55. McKnight answered with a scoop layup, then Bryant missed its next two shots. McKnight got beyond the defense on an inbounds with under 30 seconds and was able to finish on the other end to put the Pioneers (10-15, 5-7) up by four.

The Bulldogs kept a possession alive on the next trip, and sophomore Taylor McHugh (Centreville, Va.) hit a big three from the right wing to get the visitors within one, 59-58. Matej Buovac was fouled and sent to the line where he hit two shots with 10.4 to play. Zouzoua quickly dribbled up the floor, hoisted a three that went strong off the back iron, but his teammates kept the possession alive. McHugh kicked it out to the NEC's leading scorer, who launched a three at the horn from 32 feet, and as he fell down he watched his shot bang in to send the game into overtime.

McKnight got the scoring started in the extra frame with a left wing three, then he hit a second trey after a Joseph Lopez layup to put the hosts ahead by six, 69-63, with under 3:00. Zouzoua drained a midrange jumper then freshman Adam Grant (Franklin, Va.) stepped to his right and buried a corner triple with 1:39 to go, getting Bryant to within one.

After a pair of Bryant free throws kept the deficit at one, 71-70, with 58 seconds to go, the visitors forced a bad shot at the other end that went out of bounds with under 30 seconds to play.

On the following trip, Grant was whistled for on offensive foul as he backed in a defender, giving the Pioneers control with 6.5 remaining. Sean Hoehn was the man who drew the charge, and he was fouled with 4.0 to go. Hoehn netted a pair at the stripe to make it 73-70, and on the inbounds Zouzoua tried to move up the left baseline but stepped out with 1.1 to play. The Pioneers were able to get the ball in to run out the clock.

Zouzoua finished with 18 points and Grant led the Bulldogs with 19. Junior Bosko Kostur (Melbourne, Australia) tallied 11 points and now stands at 500 for his career. Sophomore Marcel Pettway (North Providence, R.I.) tallied six points and a contest-best 10 rebounds.

McKnight finished with 25 points on a 7-for-19 effort from the floor, as he went 9-for-10 from the line and pulled down seven rebounds. Lopez netted 19 to go along with five caroms and two blocks and Mario Matasovic added nine points. The Pioneers went 20-for-23 from the stripe, while Bryant went 11-for-16.

There were seven lead changes, seven ties and no lead greater than four over the first 14:39 of the opening half. But consecutive layups from Matasovic opened up an 8-0 Pioneers run over a three minutes stretch. Following a Pettway layup, Buovac drained a triple in front of Bryant's bench to start a 7-0 run over the final 1:23, capped off by a McKnight up-and-under layup at the horn to give the hosts a 35-26 halftime lead.

The Bulldogs came out aggressive to start the second half, forcing two turnovers during a 9-0 run capped off by a Zouzoua three. Kostur answered an SHU layup with a three of his own to give the Bulldogs what was their final lead, 40-39, at the 17:16 mark.

Bryant returns to the Chace Athletic Center for a crucial four-game homestand against teams ahead of them in the NEC standings, beginning with LIU Brooklyn Thursday at 7:00 p.m.