GLENSIDE, Pa. - The Arcadia University men's basketball team was locked into a back-and-forth battle with MAC Commonwealth-leading Widener Tuesday night in Alumni Gymnasium, but with the game tied 82-all on the final possession of regulation, the Pride's Conor Laverty hit a game-winning, step-back jumper with 0.8 seconds left on the clock to down the Knights in dramatic fashion, 84-82.
Da'Kquan Davis turned in yet another 20-point effort with a game-high 22 points and six assists, while Kishan Patel and DJ Gardner set career-highs with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Steve Pendleton turned in his second-consecutive double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The Knights clinched a spot in the MAC Commonwealth Championship Tournament following last weekend's results and will have their tournament seed determined following Saturday's regular season finale at Lebanon Valley.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-The Knights fell behind 11-2 in the first five-plus minutes due in large part to a 1-for-7 start from the field. The Pride began to find themselves in foul trouble early, allowing Arcadia to take off on a 9-2 run to cut the deficit down to two.
-Arcadia broke through for its first lead of the game at the 10:19 mark of the first half, as a deep Davis three followed by a corner trey from Gardner lifted the Knights to a 17-15 advantage. Foul trouble plagued both sides down the stretch in the opening half, allowing Gardner to step up with a game-high 15 points in the half on 5-of-6 shooting. Despite being held scoreless for the final 3:20 of the first, Arcadia clung to a one-point lead at the half, 35-34.
-A quick 6-0 run in the early stages of the second half put the Pride back out in front, 43-42, but the two sides stayed stride-for-stride with each other until a 7-1 Widener run at the midway point of the half staked the visitors to a four-point lead with just under ten minutes left in regulation.
-The Knights regained the lead shortly after, as a 9-1 run capped off by Davis and Patel lay-ins put Arcadia out ahead by three, 71-68. However, a flurry of Widener scoring runs put the visitors out in front down the stretch, arriving at a four-point lead with just under three minutes remaining.
-With just under 90 seconds left on the game clock, Patel came up with a huge board, hit the put-back in the paint, and drew the foul to get the Knights within three with a three-point play. The senior then came up with a huge steal on the Widener inbounds play, but Gardner's potential game-tying three went in-and-out, forcing the Knights to foul on the other end.
-The Pride missed both attempts from the foul line, giving the Knights one last chance to tie. Davis took the ball down the left side and drew the foul on the way up from beyond the arc, allowing the junior to tie the game with three successful attempts from the line. With 14.5 seconds remaining on the game clock, the Pride pushed the ball up the floor before Conor Laverty drove into the lane, spun and got off a step-back jumper from just inside the free throw line for the game-winner, lifting Widener to an 84-82 victory.
KNIGHT LEADERS
-Points: Davis 22, Patel 18, Gardner 17
-Assists: Davis 6
-Rebounds: Pendleton 11, Patel/Watkins 5
-Blocks: Patel/Walsh
-Steals: Patel 3, Pendleton 2
TEAM COMPARISON
-The Knights shot 43.1 percent (25-58) from the field, while holding Widener to 39.4 percent (28-71).
-The Pride held the edge on the boards, 48-39.
-Widener led for 20:07 total minutes of the game, while Arcadia led for 15:27.
UP NEXT
Arcadia (14-10, 9-6 MAC Commonwealth) concludes the regular season slate Saturday at Lebanon Valley. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.
