Jared Horstman's three-pointer with four seconds remaining in overtime sent the Wilmington College men's basketball team to the 88-85 loss Wednesday at Fred Raizk Arena in Hermann Court in Ohio Athletic Conference action.
The loss deals the Fightin' Quakers a double blow as they had a chance to pull even with Marietta for the second seed as the Pioneers lost to Mount Union. The Polar Bears also pulled to within one game of the third seed Wilmington currently holds. WC has now lost three of four at home.
"It's a painful loss because I thought we had taken control of the game after not playing well," said Wilmington head coach K.C. Hunt. "We showed a lot of guts and character to get back into the game … Anytime you lose on your home court, especially with the dwindling number of games, it's tough."
Wilmington hosts league-leading Mount Union 3 p.m. Saturday, while Ohio Northern hosts Capital. A WC win secures the third seed, while a loss and an ONU victory drops Wilmington to the fourth seed.
After a turnover on the first possession of the extra session, the Polar Bears attacked the glass with the same vigor they had all game long. They recorded three offensive boards before a tip-in gave them the lead.
On the game, Ohio Northern finished with 21 offensive rebounds, leading to 16 second-chance points.
Immediately after ONU took the overtime lead, senior Klarke Ransome (Richwood, OH/North Union) drilled a three-pointer to give Wilmington the lead. The teams changed leads on three consecutive possessions. Two missed free throw by WC allowed the Polar Bears to take stretch its lead, and for the final 80 seconds – Wilmington went from tied to down two twice. Junior R.J. Leppert (Liberty Township, OH/Lakota East) leaping lay-up with 37 seconds knotted the game at 85 to set up the last seconds heroics.
It wasn't the only time a last second shot went the way of Ohio Northern. A jumper with 0.6 seconds sent the game into overtime.
"Obviously down the stretch we made some plays. We had a five-point lead with under two minutes to play, we just couldn't close the deal," said Hunt. "We missed some defensive assignments and the lack of block outs hurt. (Offensive rebounding) was the key to overtime. They had 10 offensive rebounds alone in overtime. They were quicker to the ball and they were tougher than us tonight."
Wilmington started slow in both halves, and the Polar Bears held 15 point leads in both periods. Each time ONU looked like they were ready to take control, WC had an answer. Wilmington chipped away at the first half deficit, and with a Leppert three-pointer at the buzzer, the Fightin' Quakers trailed by just five at the break.
The picture was similar in the second half as WC quickly pulled to within three, but a ONU run pushed the deficit back to 15. This time, Wilmington came all the way back.
Back-to-back three-pointer from junior Dwight Johnson (Dayton, OH/Jefferson) and junior Ben McGriff (Beavercreek, OH/Beavercreek) capped a 12-0 run. After temporarily have the momentum stemmed, a 11-0 run gave Wilmington the five-point lead with 1:26 remaining. However, they couldn't quite seal the deal.
Johnson finished with a team-high 18 points with six assist, while senior Malcolm Heard II (Wilmington, OH/Wilmington) added 17 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Leppert tallied 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocks.
Senior Taylor Wellman (Norwood, OH/Norwood) recorded 11 points and Ransome finished with 10.