Behind a loud crowd at Bender Arena, the AU men’s basketball team orchestrated a comeback in the final minutes of their game against the University of Maryland-Baltimore County and force overtime, where a last second lay-up from sophomore guard Jesse Reed to secure the 63-61 Eagle victory.
While the final score came from Reed, it was point guard Darius Gardner who was responsible for multiple key plays.
“He is just a great decision maker, he gets the other guys open shots,” Brennan said of Gardner. “He does so much stuff off the ball that people don’t even notice.”
No shot was more impressive than his game-tying shot to send the game into overtime. Following a defensive stop, Brennan called a timeout and had Gardner bring the ball up the court.
Gardner would dribble through three UMBC defenders and pulled up for a fadeaway jumper at that tied the game and sent it into overtime as the crowd erupted in cheers.
The overtime period was fought just as hard as regulation, with the key difference being the Retrievers trying to comeback rather than the Eagles. Gardner made several big plays in the overtime period, finishing with a stat line of 22 points, nine rebounds, four assists, six steals and a block to lead the Eagles to victory.
Initially, the game was a slow, messy affair as both teams got off to a slow start. Trailing by a score of 9-4 early in the first half, head coach Mike Brennan made adjustments during a timeout that translated in the Eagles going on a 10-2 run to secure the lead off of an all-around surge by Gardner.
At the end of the half it was Gardner and junior guard John Schoof who lead the Eagles, with seven points and nine points respectively. The Eagles held the lead despite shooting 26.9% from the field and 52.9% from the free throw line.
AU’s free throw woes continued into the second half, as they would finish the game shooting 19-41,46.3%, from the line. The Eagles also experienced difficulty in dealing with UMBC’s full court press, that lead to turnovers for their guards to convert into easy buckets.
The flow of the game was dictated by tiny runs by the Retrievers, which were then answered through individual effort from AU’s upperclassmen.
Schoof performed well from beyond the three point line, making several key shots to keep the game in check.
With ten minutes remaining in regulation, UMBC kept trying to pull away, but AU’s leaders kept the game close.
Junior forward Kyle Kager made his presence felt as the game came down to the wire with several big shots and critical rebounds. Gardner was integral in this crucial part of the game, scoring eight points in the final three minutes of regulation.
The game also serves as the first career win for Mike Brennan as a head coach.
AU next plays Nov. 20 at Ohio State University.
sports@theeagleonline.com
