Men’s Hoops Outlasts Thomas in Double-OT Thriller, 94-88

QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College men's basketball team earned a 94-88 double-overtime victory over Thomas Friday evening at the Lahue Athletic Center.

THE BASICS:
Score: Eastern Nazarene 94, Thomas (ME) 88
Records: Lions (5-11, 2-6 NAC) | Terriers (5-9, 2-2 NAC)

                               
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Eastern Nazarene jumped out to an early double-digit lead, 14-4, as Fahad Tarjali (Amman, Jordan) splashed a three-pointer with 13:55 remaining in the first half.
• Thomas battled back to level the game at 20-20 on a trey by Cooper Wirkala with 8:39 left to play in the opening frame.
• Sammuel Prosper (Hyde Park, Mass.) canned a three-pointer late in the half to stretch the Lions' lead to 39-34 at the intermission.
• The home side widened the gap to 45-34 less than three minutes into the second stanza as Darrell Hardge (Hialeah, Fla.) sank a free throw.
• The visitors clawed back to knot the contest at 65-65 on a pair of free throws by Jackson Ruelke with 54 seconds left to play in regulation.
• Eastern Nazarene seized a 68-65 edge with 35 seconds remaining as JT Rosier (Miami, Fla.) nailed a corner trey.
• Thomas responded with a three-pointer by Jackson Ruelke with 20 seconds on the clock to send the game to overtime.
• Each squad chalked up five points in the first extra frame as the teams headed to double-overtime deadlocked at 73-73.
• The Lions started the second overtime period with a three-pointer by Fahad Tarjali (Amman, Jordan) and never relinquished the lead. Eastern Nazarene pushed the margin to 85-76 with three minutes to go on a layup by Carlos Reynoso (Clifton, N.J.).
• The hosts converted 9-of-12 free throw attempts in the final 1:31 to lock up their third-consecutive victory over Thomas.
  

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:        

• Martinie Kamga (Yaounde, Cameroon) registered his ninth double-double of the year, pouring in a team-high 22 points and gathering 13 boards.
• Darrell Hardge (Hialeah, Fla.) returned to the lineup and poured in 17 points.
• Sammuel Prosper (Hyde Park, Mass.) finished with 13 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
• Joey Hanlon (Pembroke, Mass.) chipped in with 10 points off the bench while Khabri Davis (Peoria, Ariz.) added nine points and eight rebounds.
• Eastern Nazarene posted a field-goal percentage of 45.7% while connecting on 12-of-28 from behind the arc.
• Thomas shot 35.6% from the floor and 31% from three-point range on the night.
• James Phelan scored a game-best 23 points to pace the Terriers. Cooper Wirkala netted 17 points and Jackson Ruelke notched a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards.

                                                                            
LOOKING AHEAD:
Eastern Nazarene concludes the weekend series against Thomas January 13.