Widener (12-11, 7-6 CC) squandered a 49-34 lead with 13:47 and could not overcome foul trouble in a devastating loss that leaves it tied for third in the conference with Susquehanna. Both are one game in front of Lebanon Valley for the final conference tournament spot.
It was the Pride’s first triple-overtime game since January 29, 1994, when they were handed an 88-83 setback at Albright.
Moravian (11-13, 4-9) grabbed a 73-69 lead with 18 seconds left in regulation when Mark Franzyshen drilled two free throws. Senior David Douglas made a free throw with eight seconds left for a 73-70 game and missed the second. Eric Weaver grabbed the rebound but fell to the ground and was called for traveling with 7.1 seconds remaining.
Bobby Edmunds came through in the clutch, taking a pass from sophomore Nyere Miller and drilling a long 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left for a 73-73 tie.
In overtime, senior Essien Ford hit two free throws with 56 seconds left to bring Widener within 82-81. Ford then deflected a pass in the backcourt that Miller was able to tap back to the basket. Ford was there for the layup and after being fouled by Weaver, converted the three-point play with 49 seconds left for an 84-82 contest.
Franzyshen hit two from the stripe with 29 seconds to go for an 84-84 tie, giving Widener a chance for the win. But Ford’s jumper just inside the 3-point line bounced off the rim in the waning seconds.
The second overtime saw Franzyshen drill 1-of-2 from the line with 1:17 left, giving the Greyhounds a 92-90 cushion. Miller took his turn on center stage and delivered, drilling a 3-pointer with 59 seconds to play for a 93-92 Widener lead.
Weaver missed two layups on the other end, but was fouled by Miller with 30 seconds left and still had a chance to give Moravian the lead. He made just one for a 93-93 tie.
Ford missed a 3-pointer and Dave Bowden got the rebound for the Greyhounds, but was called for traveling with four seconds left. Ford again was called upon to win it, but his shot from the left baseline was off at the buzzer.
Moravian opened the third overtime on an 11-2 run, thanks to five points from Michael Clemente. Weaver hit 1-of-2 from the line for a 104-95 Moravian lead with lead 1:04 remaining.
Miller hit a 3-pointer and freshman Jamarr Johnson added a layup to close Widener to 104-100 with 33 seconds left. But Ryan Miller drilled 1-of-2 from the stripe for a 106-100 contest with 27 seconds to go.
Weaver added two more from the line with 16 seconds left, capping a period in which Moravian shot 8-for-12 from the stripe and outscored Widener, 15-9.
Franzyshen poured in 29 points over 38 minutes and shot 15-of-18 from the line. Steve Wenderfer scored 20 points before fouling out, Clemente scored 16 points, Miller netted 13 and Weaver added 12 and 13.
Ford matched his career high of 30 points from January 7, 2006 at Rutgers-Camden, playing 50 minutes. Edmunds scored 16 points in 46 minutes, Douglas netted 14 in 34 minutes and Miller poured in 12 in 50 minutes.
The contest was decided at the line as Moravian shot 42-for-59 versus 23-for-29 for Widener. The Greyhounds hit 17-for-24 in the overtime to 7-for-7 for the Pride. Widener committed 37 fouls and saw three of its players foul out with Moravian only called for 27.
Widener shot 47 percent (36-of-77) from the field, including 53 percent (17-of-32) in the first half to open a 41-27 halftime lead. Moravian hit 45 percent (29-of-65) overall, including 8-of-16 in the overtimes.
Widener plays its regular-season finale Saturday at Messiah as part of a doubleheader with the women’s team. The women’s game begins at 1:00 pm, followed by the men’s contest at 3:00 pm.
Moravian vs Widener 2/15/07 8:00 pm at Chester, PA At Chester, PA MORAVIAN 108, WIDENER 102 MORAVIAN (11-13, 4-9 CC) Mark Franzyshen 7-9 15-18 29; Steve Wenderfer 7-15 5-5 20; Michael Clemente 5-8 2-4 16; Ryan Miller 2-9 8-10 13; Eric Weaver 2-12 8-12 12; Eric Whitman 3-8 2-4 9; Matt Devlin 2-3 0-2 5; Greg Jones 1-1 2-4 4; Dave Bowden 0-0 0-0 0; Jeremy Walker 0-0 0-0 0; Chris Bays 0-0 0-0 0; Chris Earley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-65 42-59 108. WIDENER (12-11, 7-6 CC) Ford, Essien 10-28 8-9 30; Edmunds, Bobby 5-8 5-7 16; Douglas, David 5-8 4-6 14; Miller, Nyere 3-12 3-4 12; Thomas, Malcolm 5-7 0-0 11; Smith, Terry 5-10 1-1 11; Johnson, Jamarr 2-2 2-2 6; Sosna, Matt 1-1 0-0 2; Stewart, Craig 0-0 0-0 0; O'Connor, Brian 0-0 0-0 0; Jones, James 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 36-77 23-29 102. Moravian...................... 27 46 11 9 15 - 108 Widener....................... 41 32 11 9 9 - 102 3-point goals-Moravian 8-22 (Michael Clemente 4-7; Ryan Miller 1-6; Matt Devlin 1-1; Eric Whitman 1-4; Steve Wenderfer 1-2; Eric Weaver 0-2), Widener 7-29 (Miller, Nyere 3-10; Ford, Essien 2-12; Edmunds, Bobby 1-4; Thomas, Malcolm 1-3). Fouled out--Moravian-Steve Wenderfer; Eric Whitman, Widener-Thomas, Malcolm; Sosna, Matt; Smith, Terry. Rebounds-Moravian 52 (Eric Weaver 13), Widener 38 (Douglas, David 8). Assists-Moravian 16 (Eric Whitman 3; Eric Weaver 3; Greg Jones 3), Widener 17 (Miller, Nyere 4; Edmunds, Bobby 4). Total fouls-Moravian 27, Widener 37. A-395