MADISON, N.J. – The Neumann University men's basketball team rallied and defeated Drew University 114-110 in overtime in the first round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament on Wednesday evening.
Two free throws by
Billy Cassidy in the overtime session put the senior over the 1,000 career point mark. Cassidy finished the game with 17 points, hitting four three-pointers.
Raquan Brown-Johnson had a career night as well, scoring 46 points to lead all scorers. He also grabbed 16 rebounds and three blocks.
Tyaire Hudson netted 22 points.
Aaron Johnson-Chavis tallied 14 points and two blocks.
Jordan Collins added 13 points.
Regulation was a tale of two halves. Drew controlled the pace of the game in the first half, building a 19 point lead, 55-36, with 2:40 left before halftime. Neumann ended the half with a 10-5 run for a 60-46 score at the break.
The Knights used the first part of the second half to chip their way back into the game. With 11:26 on the clock, Neumann tied the game at 70 on a layup by Hudson. The teams would have seven more tied scores throughout the rest of regulation. The Rangers held a 94-90 lead with 25 seconds on the clock. Brown-Johnson hit a layup to get back within two. Drew then missed the first shot of a 1-and-1, but got the ball back on the rebound. The Knights fouled and the Rangers went 1-for-2 for a three point game. Just before the buzzer, Brown-Johnson hit a three-pointer to tie the game and send it into overtime.
The teams traded baskets over the first four minutes of the extra session. With a one point lead, 105-104, the Knights scored six straight points to take a 111-104 advantage. Cassidy went 2-for-2 from the line during the run, the first free-throw being Cassidy's 1,000
th point, with 43 seconds left in overtime.
Over final 30 seconds, the teams shot free throws. Hudson went 3-for-4 to help keep the Rangers at arm's length and send the Knights to the next round of the ECAC Tournament.
Neumann (20-8) will advance in the ECAC Tournament. The Knights will face Juniata on Friday in a quarterfinal contest at Wilkes University. Neumann is in the first game of the day, beginning at 11:00 AM.
