Clarksville, Ark.-UT-Tyler's Anthony Reese hit a three-pointer with .8 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime and the Patriots on to a 88-83 win in American Southwest Conference play on Thursday night.
With the Eagles (8-11, 5-10) leading 70-67, Reese launched a rainbow shot with a defender in his face that forced the division battle into overtime. Habeeb Kareem, however, nearly spoiled Reese’s shot when he heaved up a desperation half court shot that banked off the backboard and hit the front of the rim with no time on the clock. In overtime, Ozarks scored first when Kareem nailed a three-pointer, but UT-Tyler (11-10, 10-6) eventually tied it at 76-76 with 3:04 left. After another Kareem jumper, Reese answered with a three-pointer to give the Patriots a 82-80 advantage. Not to be outdone, Tony Brock raced the length of the court un
touched to make it 82-82 with 1:55 remaining. However, the Eagles couldn’t ever take the lead after Brock’s shot and didn’t score on their next three possessions.
With the Patriots holding the lead for the majority of the first half, Ozarks ended halftime with a 38-30 advantage thanks to the hot hand of Andre Williams. Williams hit three three-pointers in a three-minute span and Tony Daniels nailed one of his own to give Ozarks the momentum heading into the lockeroom. Ozarks led by as much as 57-45 with 12:12 left in the second half before UT-Tyler made a run to tie the game at 59-59 with 6:16 left. There were four ties in the final six minutes of the game, but Ozarks did have a 69-65 lead with 48 seconds left.
Kareem finished with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. He also added a team-best 9 rebounds. Chris Williams scored 15 off the bench and ignited the crowd with a dunk early in the first half. Williams added 14 points and Jeremy Clark scored 13.
Ozarks will host UT-Dallas on February 9.
Topics: Athletics