SCHUYLKILL HAVEN, Pa - Penn State Schuylkill Men's Basketball avenged their Monday night loss to Fisher College with a 94-91 overtime victory in Tuesday's matchup.
The initial 10 minutes and 34 seconds of the competition featured 6 ties and 5 lead changes, with neither team commanding a lead greater than three points. At the 9:26 mark in the first quarter, Fisher held a 22-19 lead, but Schuylkill embarked on a 15-0 run, establishing a twelve-point lead by the 5:20 mark in the opening half. The game continued to unfold with Fisher responding with a 14-0 run, reclaiming the lead at 38-34 with 2:43 remaining in the first quarter. Fisher headed into halftime with a six-point advantage.
Dashawn Dixon (Baltimore, MD / Catonsville High School) and Amir Gray (Washington, DC / Quince Orchard High School) contributed all 15 of Schuylkill's points in the initial 4 minutes and 25 seconds of the second half, sparking a 17-3 run that gave Schuylkill a 53-45 lead early in the half.
Both teams fiercely contested throughout the period, and Fisher managed to regain the lead at 80-79 with a three-point shot with 34 seconds left. Schuylkill, trailing by two after a made Fisher free throw, saw Antwuan Byrd (Harrisburg, PA / Bishop McDevitt High School) attack the basket, finding Dixon for a game-tying basket as time expired.
In the extra period, Schuylkill was the first to score as Gray hit a jumper, giving them a slight edge. Gray continued to shine in overtime, contributing 10 of Schuylkill's 13 points.
Following a Schuylkill foul with 10 seconds left in overtime, Fisher converted two free throws, reducing their deficit to 92-91 with 10 seconds remaining. Byrd and Bryce Hensley (Auburn, PA / Blue Mountain High School) each made a free throw in the final moments as Schuylkill secured two crucial defensive stops to claim the victory.
Gray led all scorers with 26 points to go with 9 rebounds. Byrd finished with 25 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds. Dixon added 18 points and 14 rebounds. Also finishing in double digit rebounds was Hensley who grabbed 12 on the night. Hadir Boswell (Philadelphia, PA / West Philadelphia Catholic High School) tallied 11 points and 8 rebounds for Schuylkill in the victory.
Schuylkill (5-11 overall, 2-4 PSUAC) will return to action on Friday, January 12th as they take on Penn State Beaver at 8:00 p.m.
