WINSTON-SALEM, NC – South Carolina State blew a 15-point lead in the last 6:49 of regulation but came back to grab a 70-66 overtime win over Delaware State Friday in the semifinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament at the Lawrence Joel Veteran Memorial Coliseum.
The victory earned third-year head coach Tim Carter and the third-seeded Bulldogs a trip to Saturday's semifinals against top-seeded Morgan State Saturday at 2 p.m. The contest will be televised live by ESPN2.
The Bulldog victory Friday means that both SC State teams are Saturday's finals. The Lady Bulldogs defeated Howard 63-50 for a right to play in the women's final, which will be played at 5 p.m. and broadcast on a tape-delayed basis Sunday at 11 a.m.
The Bulldogs are in the championship game for the first time since the 2002-03 season when SC State won the last of its five tournament titles and the NCAA bid that goes along with it.
Senior Jason Flagler had 19 points, including the go ahead basket with 43 seconds left in the extra period, and eight rebounds to lead the Bulldogs, who improved to 18-13. Rio Pitt added 11 points, including a crucial tip off a missed free throw with 03.2 seconds left that provided the final margin
Carrio Bennett, who struggled most of the game but hit two 3-pointers in the final 43.8 seconds of regulation to force the overtime, and Brandon Smalls contributed 10 points each in the hard-fought victory. Khaliff Toombs added nine points, five in overtime for SC Stat, which led 23-16 at the half.
Delaware State was led by Jay Threatt with 15 points. Marcus Neal added 14 points and Frisco Sandidge 13 and 10 rebounds for the Hornets, who ended the year at 18-13.
Arsenio Williams, who had only four points for SC State, got inside for layup to put the Bulldogs ahead 49-34 wit 6:49 left.
Sandidge made one of two free throws and Neal then got eight straight points to ignite a 17-2 run that pulled the Hornets even at 51-all on Threatt's three-point play with 2:50 left in regulation. Sandidge then converted a steal into a layup and Threat drove the lane for a layup to give Delaware State a 55-51 edge with only 1:15 in regulation.
Ben
nett then connected on the first of his two baskets from behind the arc to pull SC State to within 55-54 with 43.8 seconds showing. DSU's Trevor Welcher was fouled and made both opportunities to put the second-seeded Hawks ahead by three – 57-54 – with 11 seconds showing.
Then came an unusual sequence that eventually led to overtime. Threatt was called for a charge, giving the Bulldogs the ball with 4.6 seconds left. Following a Bulldog timeout, Smalls took the inbounds pass, dribble into the front court and launched a three which rattled around the rim and dropped through the net but Carter had signaled for a timeout and the basket was waved off and the officials put one second on the clock but the Bulldogs were unable to get off a shot.
Delaware State took a 61-57 lead in overtime, but SC State rallied to tie at 63-63 on a 3-pointer by Toombs with 2:07 left in the extra period. Neal connected on a follow shot to put the Hornets ahead 65-63 but Toombs answered with a layup for the Bulldog and a 65-65 deadlock with 1:23 showing.
Marques Oliver made the second of two free throws with 1:03 left in the extra period put Delaware State ahead 66-65 with 1:03 on the clock, but Flagler, off a feed from Bennett put in a layup for a 67-66 SC State lead with 41.2 seconds left. The Bulldogs scored the game final three points off a free throw by Bennett and a tip off his missed second shot by Pitt to seal the win.
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