WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The Concord University men's basketball team lost a double overtime nail-biter, 109-108, to nationally-ranked West Liberty Saturday afternoon inside the ASRC in Mountain East Conference action.
The Mountain Lions (10-5, 6-4 MEC) needed a layup from senior guard
Tommy Bolte at the end of regulation buzzer to force overtime, tied at 86-86. The layup came on a baseball in-bound pass from junior forward
Trey Brisco where Bolte caught the ball at half court and sped into the front court with just 3.7 seconds to work it.
In the first extra session, it appeared Concord may come up short. Trailing by three with less than 10 seconds left, freshman guard
Brandon Kennedy found the bottom of the net on a three-pointer to send the contest into double overtime, knotted at 97-97.
After WLU (14-2, 9-1 MEC) jumped out by four points, 103-99, Concord ripped off a 7-2 run that ended with a Bolte three-pointer to put CU up 106-105 with 2:03 remaining. After West Liberty's Dalton Bolon and Bolte traded buckets, Concord was up 108-107 with 56 seconds left. On the ensuing Hilltoppers' possession, Bolon converted two free throws to push WLU in front by a point. Down to 25 seconds in the game, Bolte patiently waited for the clock to tick down inside 10 seconds. As he drove down the left side, Bolte dished the ball to junior guard
Jair Rodgers who had his jumper from the elbow hit off the rim as the buzzer sounded.
Before Bolte's heroics at the end of regulation, Concord was forced to erase a nine-point deficit with 3:36 left in the second half. Still trailing by three with 22 seconds left, Bolte stole the ball and finished off a three-point play to deadlock the contest at 84-84.
West Liberty's Yahel Hill put West Liberty up 86-84 before Bolte's game-tying layup at the end of regulation. Neither team led by more than four points in either overtime session.
The contest featured 21 lead changes and 15 ties.
Bolte scored 41 points as he hit on 15-of-16 free throws. The Chillicothe, Ohio native added eight rebounds, six assists and a career-best five steals in the setback. Sophomore forward
David Bea Mulumba continued his strong play by scoring 21 points. Rodgers tossed in 15 points while sophomore guard/forward
Malik Johnson came off the bench to add 11 points.
Concord finishes up its road trip when it travels to Charleston 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
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