Buzzer-Beating Win For Men's Basketball Over Penn State Berks
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Penn St.-Berks (4-11, 4-7 NEAC) | 44 | 54 | 98 |
|
Wells (11-6, 8-2 NEAC) | 43 | 56 | 99 |
Ayodele Akinmola made a game-winning 3-pointer on the final shot of the game to give the Wells College men's basketball team a 99-98 win over Penn State Berks on Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Farenthold Athletic Wing of the Schwartz Center.
It was the third buzzer-beating victory of the year for Wells, as the Express improved to 11-6 overall and 8-2 in the North Eastern Athletic Conference. Wells held on to a share of first place in the North Division. Penn State Berks is 4-11 overall and 4-7 in the NEAC.
Akinmola's game-winning shot capped a comeback effort in the second half. The game was tied 50-50 early in the second half, but Berks went ahead and built a nine-point advantage with about 12 minutes left. Wells chipped away at the deficit over the next eight minutes and eventually went ahead 85-83 on a 3-pointer from Rich Ross with 4:03 left.
The teams traded the lead down the stretch and Chris Courtney made a 3-pointer to knot the score 91-91 with 1:17 remaining.
Four straight points from Penn State Berks put the Nittany Lions ahead but Courtney drilled another 3 to make it 95-94 in Berks' favor with 30 seconds left.
Berks led 98-96 with 15 seconds left but Wells turned the ball over and were forced to foul. Penn State Berks missed both foul shots, Wells pushed the ball up the court, and Akinmola made a 3-pointer from the right side as the buzzer sounded to give the Express the one-point victory.
Akinmola was one of five Wells players to score in double figures. He had 17 points and Rich Ross had 17. James Feocco and Anthony Nesci had 16 points each, and Courtney added 13. Akinmola was 10-for-10 from the free-throw line.
Wells used a full-court press for most of the game and it yielded nine steals, with three of those from Nesci and two each from Vaughndell Brantley and Tyree Fisher. Feocco led Wells with eight rebounds.
Wells continues its homestand with another conference game on Sunday, Jan. 29 as Lancaster Bible College visits the Schwartz Center for a 3 p.m tip.
