It didn’t look like Allegheny would need overtime, as the Gators dominated the opening half of play, racing to a 44-28 halftime lead. The key to the first half was the Gator defense, which forced 11 Quaker turnovers that resulted in 18 AC points. Sophomore guard Casey McCloskey hit on seven of 10 shots for 16 points and freshman Justin Schmitt went 5-5 on his way to 11 first half markers.
Led by McCloskey and Schmitt, the Gators shot a blistering 59 percent (19-32) in the first 20 minutes, including four of six attempts from the arc.
Earlham came out a different team in the second half. After Majzlik hit a jumper to open the scoring, the Quakers roared back into the game off the strength of a 22-4 burst to slice the deficit to 52-50. Forward Brandon Miller led the EC charge by tallying nine points during the run that made it a two-point game with 9:37 to play. Allegheny answered with an 8-2 spurt, highlighted by five points from Majzlik, to extend the margin back to 60-52.
But in the last eight minutes of regulation, the Gators offense ran cold, which allowed Earlham to nearly pull out the win. While Allegheny went 1-10 from the floor in the next seven minutes, the Quakers went on a 14-3 run and when Miller scored on back-to-back lay-ups, EC led 66-63 with 1:12 to play.
On the ensuing possession, Majzlik was fouled. After hitting the first free throw, he missed the second but freshman forward Brian Schulz battled for the offensive board and scored to knot the game at 66. Both teams had chances to win in regulation, but Earlham missed a shot and then turned the ball over and Schmitt’s jumper from the top of the key at the horn was off the front of the rim, forcing OT.
The beginning of the extra session belonged to Schmitt’s defense. He made a steal that led to a Majzlik bucket at the 4:19 mark to put AC ahead for good. Two possessions, and another Schmitt theft later, he nabbed his seventh steal of the night. That led to a triple by Schulz and the Gator lead was 71-66. Majzlik would hit another jumper and McCloskey went 3-4 at the line in the closing minutes to seal the win and give the Gators their first NCAC victory of the season.
Allegheny’s win came despite being out-rebounded by a 49-32 margin and shooting just 48 percent (13-27) from the foul line. The Gators balanced those stats out by forcing a season-high 22 turnovers and shooting 48 percent for the game (30-63).
Leading the Gator offense was Majzlik, who went 10-14 from the floor and pulled down seven boards. McCloskey also snared seven rebounds, as well as tallying 23 points on eight of 13 shooting. Schmitt totaled 14 points to go with his seven steals, while sophomore guard Mike Sefcsik did not score but did dish out a career-high eight assists.
Earlham was paced by two players with double-doubles. Jermaine Crumby went 5-11 from the arc as he finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Miller added 20 markers and 13 boards before fouling out midway through OT.
Earlham College vs Allegheny College 01-07-05 7:45 pm at Meadville, Pa. (David V. Wise Center) At Meadville, Pa. (David V. Wise Center) ALLEGHENY COLLEGE 78, EARLHAM COLLEGE 71 EARLHAM COLLEGE (3-9, 1-2 NCAC) Jermaine Crumby 7-19 3-3 22; Brandon Miller 9-19 2-4 20; Evan Ogburn 5-13 0-0 10; Terrel Brown 2-4 3-5 8; Tyler Stewart 2-5 0-0 4; Nick Welsh 2-3 0-0 4; Mike Bradley 1-3 1-3 3; Tyshaun Bogard 0-0 0-0 0; Carlos Suberville 0-0 0-0 0; Joe White 0-0 0-0 0; Jon Miller 0-0 0-0 0; Neil Collins 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-66 9-15 71. ALLEGHENY COLLEGE (4-7, 1-2 NCAC) Matt Majzlik 10-14 5-8 25; Casey McCloskey 8-13 5-9 23; Justin Schmitt 6-9 2-6 14; Brian Schulz 3-7 1-2 8; Bill Babe 1-7 0-2 3; Larry Sharp 1-1 0-0 3; Quinn O'Brien 1-8 0-0 2; Mike Sefscik 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 30-63 13-27 78. Earlham College............... 28 38 5 - 71 Allegheny College............. 44 22 12 - 78 3-point goals-Earlham College 6-19 (Jermaine Crumby 5-11; Terrel Brown 1-2; Evan Ogburn 0-4; Tyler Stewart 0-2), Allegheny College 5-14 (Casey McCloskey 2-3; Bill Babe 1-4; Brian Schulz 1-3; Larry Sharp 1-1; Mike Sefscik 0-2; Quinn O'Brien 0-1). Fouled out--Earlham College-Brandon Miller, Allegheny College-Bill Babe. Rebounds-Earlham College 49 (Brandon Miller 13), Allegheny College 32 (Casey McCloskey 7; Matt Majzlik 7). Assists-Earlham College 13 (Brandon Miller 4), Allegheny College 18 (Mike Sefscik 8). Total fouls-Earlham College 23, Allegheny College 19. A-255