Men’s Basketball Falls in OT at Hawaii Pacific in Exhibition Game, 78-73

HONOLULU, Hawaii- The Eastern Nazarene men's basketball team dropped a 78-73 overtime decision at NCAA Division II Hawaii Pacific Friday in exhibition action.

Eric Lynch (Alpharetta, Ga.) paced the Lions with 17 points while adding four steals and three boards. Justin Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) drained a team-high four three-pointers to finish with 16 points and three assists.

Jeremy Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) connected on three treys to contribute 11 points while Jaylen Owens (Johns Creek, Ga.) posted 10 points and four assists. Alex Jarman (Portsmouth, R.I.) led the visitors with six rebounds and chipped in with seven points.

The Sea Warriors boasted five double-digit scorers on the evening, led by Malte Ziegenhagen with 22 points and eight rebounds.

After Eastern Nazarene netted the opening basket, Hawaii Pacific posted an 11-3 run to gain an 11-5 lead with 12:21 remaining in the first half.

The Sea Warriors stretched the margin to 15 points as Darry Jones Jr. banked in a lay-up to push the score to 28-13 with 4:35 left to play in the period.

The Lions cut the deficit to single digits with under a minute remaining, 31-22, on a lay-in by Lynch.

Ziegenhagen converted three free throws with 23 seconds left on the clock to give Hawaii Pacific a 34-22 edge at halftime.

Eastern Nazarene shot just 27.6% from the field in the opening period, hitting eight buckets on 29 attempts. The Lions connected on 4-of-13 from beyond the arc in the first frame.

Hawaii Pacific sported a field-goal percentage of 52.2% at halftime while also sinking 9-of-11 from the charity stripe.

The Lions clawed back into the contest early in the second half, using a 14-2 run to trim the deficit to 38-36 with 16:31 remaining in regulation.

Back-to-back buckets by Owens tied the game at 38-38 with 14:46 on the clock and gave Eastern Nazarene a 40-38 edge with 14:19 left to play.

The remainder of the second half was tightly contested with neither side opening up a large lead.

Justin Wagner buried a three-pointer late in regulation to level the score at 64-64.

The second half featured five ties and six lead changes.

Eastern Nazarene outscored Hawaii Pacific 42-30 in the second half to force overtime as the two squads were knotted at 64-64.

The home team shot 55.6% from the floor in the second stanza, knocking down three treys on seven tries. The visitors posted a field-goal percentage of 59.3% in the second half, including a 6-for-10 effort from long distance.

In overtime, the Lions tallied seven straight points to hold a four-point lead with 2:26 left to go, 73-69.

The Sea Warriors responded with nine unanswered points to seal the victory.

Hawaii Pacific knotted the contest at 73-73 on a jump shot by Farbod Farman with 1:11 remaining. The Sea Warriors made five free throws in the final 37 seconds to fend off Eastern Nazarene.

The Lions finished the game with a field-goal percentage of 42.2% and a three-point percentage of 42.3%. The Sea Warriors connected on 53.1% of their field goal attempts in the contest and 41.7% from three-point range.

Eastern Nazarene opens the 2013-14 campaign November 16 at Wheelock.