It took some dramatic plays at the end of regulation and the first overtime just to force a second overtime, but in the end, the Panthers men basketball team escaped with an 88-86 double-overtime win over Finger Lakes Community College on Saturday. Tompkins Cortland improves to 10-6 overall and remains in first place in the Mid-State Athletic Conference with a conference record of 7-1. Finger Lakes drops to 6-11 overall and 3-4 in the MSAC.
It didn't look like a tight game early, as the Panthers jumped ahead by nine point, 13-4, just five minutes into the game. The visitors responded with 15-3 run to take the lead midway through the half. The Panthers regained the lead and again pushed it to nine points (31-22) with 5:30 left, but the Lakers again responded, closing out the half on a 14-5 run to send teams to the locker room tied at 36-36.
The second half was back-and-forth with neither team leading by more than six points. Finger Lakes held the six-point advantage with 5:05 left, but the Panthers cut it to just one point with 3:30 left. The Lakers held onto the lead over the next three minutes, and with a free throw with 18 seconds left, the advantage stood at 71-68. Needing a 3-pointer to tie, the Panthers got just that from freshman Israel Guerrido (Bronx/James Monroe H.S.), who had been 0-for-5 from long range prior to hitting the clutch shot with 10.8 left. The score remained tied at 71-71 when the horn sounded to end regulation.
In the first extra period, the teams traded the lead five times in the first two minutes, but Finger Lakes scored five straight to lead 78-74 with 2:35 left. Both teams went cold, with a bucket by Nazir Rowell (Harlem/Vineland H.S.) being the only basket over the next two minutes, making the score 78-76. After an empty possession for the home team, Finger Lakes had the ball and a two-point with under 25 seconds left, but a steal and layup by Marqiis Samuels (Long Island/The Patrick School) tied the game with 16.3 left on the clock. The Finger Lakes drought continued to the end of the overtime period, making it scoreless for the Lakers over the last 2:35, and sending the game to a second extra period tied at 78-78.
The second overtime started with the Lakers scoring first, but the Panthers came back with six in a row to lead 84-80 at the three-minute mark. The teams traded three-point plays over the next minute, but when the Lakers hit another 3-pointer, the score was tied at 86-86 with 1:50 left. A single foul shot by Samuels with 41.5 seconds left put the Panthers up by one with 41.5 seconds left, and one by Rowell with 10 seconds left made the margin two. A final possession for the Lakers came up empty, and the Panthers escaped with the win, 88-86.
Samuels led the Panthers with a full stat line of 19 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 5 steals. , who finished with 20 points, 4 steals, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds. Kobe Nwosu (Spring Valley/North Rockland H.S.) had 15 points and 7 rebounds and Sheldon Schuler (New Haven, Conn./Lee Academy Prep) had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Rowell finished with 11 points, 6 rebound, 4 assists, and 2 steals.
Looking ahead
The Panthers are home again on Wednesday, hosting Cayuga Community College.