TAYLOR'S LAST SECOND THREE GROUNDS BOMBERS

TAYLOR'S LAST SECOND THREE GROUNDS BOMBERS

AURORA, N.Y.EJ Taylor (Tampa Bay, Fla.) knocked down a fade-away 3-pointer with two seconds remaining propelling the Wells College men's basketball team to a thrilling 73-72 victory over the Ithaca College Bombers (3-8) on Friday evening in Aurora. Terry Harrison (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led all Express scorers with a team high 28 points and 16 rebounds. With the victory the Express (4-4) have now won four straight games.

 

Dave Foltz (Auburn, N.Y.) added 15 points, four rebounds, and four assists while Andre Sawyers (Bronx, N.Y.) chipped in with 13 points and seven rebounds to round out the highlights for the Express.

 

Jordan Marcus (West Orange, N.J.) led the Bombers with a team high 23 points, Frank Mitchell (Hillsborough, N.J.) added 15 points, and Sean Rossi (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) finished with 16 assists to go along with nine points for Ithaca.

 

The Express controlled the majority of the second half, leading by as many as 10-points before a late run pulled the Bombers to within two (41-39) at the half.

 

Down 47-44 early in the second half, Ithaca rattled off nine straight points to take a 53-47 lead. The Express battled back to within one (58-57) but the Bombers responded with another run, including six straight points from Marcus, to take a 68-61 lead with 7:21 remaining.

 

A thunderous dunk by Sawyers sparked a 9-0 run by Wells as they would head to the foul line up 70-68 with a chance to extend their lead with under two minutes to play. However, the Express missed both free throws and the Bombers raced down the court to take a one point lead (71-70) on a 3-pointer from Marcus.

 

After both teams traded missed shots, the Express moved up the court with 17-seconds remaining. Corey Lewis (Plattsburg, N.Y.) made a strong move inside the paint before dishing the ball to Taylor who hit a fade-away three with a defender in his face to give the Express a 73-71 lead with 2.5 seconds remaining.

 

On the ensuing inbounds play, Ithaca sent a hail mary pass down the court to Tom Sweeney (Ambler, Pa.) who was playing just under the basket, drawing a foul with 1.1 seconds left. Sweeney hit the first free throw shot but, the second shot rattled out to Harrison who secured the ball and the one point victory for Wells.

 

The Express finished 61.5 percent from the field and 6-11 from behind the arc but finished just 3 of 14 from the charity stripe. Ithaca finished 50.8 percent from the field, including 8 of 18 from behind the arc. Wells held the advantage on the boards 33-21.

 

The Express return to action on Monday, Jan. 2 when they travel to Schenectady, N.Y. to take on Hamilton College in game one of the Sig Makofski Tournament hosted by Union College. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.