Compton, Calif. – It took five extra minutes, plenty of grit, and some clutch buckets, but the Mounties escaped Compton with a hard-earned 94-89 overtime victory on Wednesday, January 7. With the win, Mt. SAC improves to 14-2 on the season, while the Coyotes fall to 7-9. Despite the difference in records, this one went right down to the wire—and then some.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Mounties struck first as Jeremy Williams started the game with a layup before Omari Abdallah showed off his hops with a thunderous dunk. Compton quickly answered back with three-pointers from Keyshawn Ross Jr. and Deuce Roberts, setting the tone for a tightly contested first half.

Mt. SAC trailed for much of the opening period until Osami Maciel knocked down a pair of free throws midway through the half to give the Mounties a brief edge. Compton responded late, as Ley McGovern drained a three and added two free throws to send the Mounties into the break trailing 39-34.

The Mounties came out firing in the second half. Ryan Wheeler finished strong at the rim and Dayvon Gates knocked down a jumper as Mt. SAC chipped away at the deficit. The persistence paid off when Ethan Nelson converted a layup and free throw, followed by Maciel's free throws, tying the game at 52-52 with 12 minutes remaining.

Compton surged again behind Roberts and Ross Jr., but Mt. SAC refused to go away. Zion Booker threw down a dunk, Maciel connected from beyond the arc, and Antoni Camarao added a free throw to keep things close.

The final minute of regulation was pure drama. Gates tied the game at 80, McGovern answered with a dunk, and Williams responded with a layup. Williams then gave the Mounties a one-point edge at the line before David Ibarra knocked down two free throws for Compton. With 11 seconds left, Williams calmly sank a free throw to knot the score at 84-84 and force overtime.

In the extra period, Caleb Wright opened with a layup and Gates added two free throws, but Compton stayed within striking distance. With the score tight at 88-87, the Mounties slammed the door. Booker delivered another dunk, Williams finished a layup, and Nelson capped the night with a dunk of his own as Mt. SAC outscored the Coyotes 10-5 in overtime to seal the win.

While it wasn't the Mounties' finest work—shooting 47.5% from the field, 20.0% from three, and 63.6% at the free-throw line—their effort on the glass and inside made the difference. Mt. SAC dominated the paint with 48 points and pulled down 50 rebounds to grind out the victory.

KEY PLAYERS:

• Keyshawn Ross Jr. (Compton): Game-high 22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals
• Ley McGovern (Compton): 21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block
• Jeremy Williams (Mt. SAC): Team-high 19 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal
• Ryan Wheeler (Mt. SAC): 11 points, 12 rebounds 2 blocks

NEXT UP:

The Mounties return home for a South Coast Conference crossover showdown against Cerritos College (13-3) on Friday, January 9 at 5:00 PM. Come out and support Mt. SAC Men's Basketball as they look to keep the momentum rolling!

STAY CONNECTED:

Follow Mt. SAC Men's Basketball on twitter @MtSAC_MBKB or Instagram /mt.sacbasketball/

Follow Mt. SAC Athletics on twitter @MtSAC_athletics Instagram /mtsac_athletics/ or Facebook @Mountie.Athletics

For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.