Facing off against America East Conference rivals University of New Hampshire Wildcats, the Retrievers were up against an admirable foe who at the time, held one game over them in conference standings. Despite being down in the final minute of each period, the Retrievers rallied to upset New Hampshire with their 105-103 win and tie them for a 5-4 record in the conference.
Junior Jairus Lyles came up big to help carry the team in the rivalry match-up, recording 28 points on the day, along with two steals, and eight rebounds. Lyles locked down the win in the final 19 seconds of the game thanks to a pair of free throws, taking the lead at 104-103.
Fortunately for Lyles, he did not have to do it all on his own. The Retrievers depth helped them push past the Wildcats. The Retrievers bench scored 49 of their 105 points on the day, while the Wildcats bench only put up five.
Junior Rodney Elliot and freshman Arkel Lamar came off the bench hot, scoring 22 and 14 points, respectively. They provided their teammates with much needed rest in the long struggle against New Hampshire, as Elliot spent 38 minutes on the court and Lamar spent 22 minutes.
New Hampshire also failed to capitalize off of the seven turnovers they took from the Retrievers. The Wildcats only scored a measly six points off of their turnovers. Meanwhile, the Retrievers acquired only three turnovers more for a total of 10, but eclipsed them in points scored with 24.
Head coach Ryan Odom’s team demonstrated a strong perseverance throughout the day as they came back from several deficits, including be down by 11 at one point in the second period. The Retrievers were saved by several last second shots throughout the game.
With only 2.9 seconds left in the first overtime period and down by three, sophomore Joe Sherburne launched a pass down the court to senior Will Darley who sunk it in from 24 feet back to tie the game at 92 and forced a second overtime.
The Retrievers will next challenge the University of Binghamton on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. and then continue on the road in a game against the University of Maine on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 1 p.m. Both games will be televised on ESPN3.
