Omar Kellman grabbed an offensive rebound and converted two free throws with .03 seconds remaining in overtime to lift the St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team to an 82-80 East Coast Conference victory over Dowling College at Aquinas Hall. The game was also the home opener for the Spartans, who improved to 1-4, 1-0 while Dowling dropped to 2-4, 0-1.
Both teams came out strong in the first half, with Dowling holding a lead of 24-22 with seven minutes remaining in the first half. Over the next four minutes, the Spartans took off on a 13-1 run and a late pair of Justin Brown buckets gave STAC a 42-32 lead at the half.
That momentum would continue after the break as a Dane Dixon free-throw with 13:49 left capped a 16-6 burst to start the second half and give the hosts a 58-38 lead. Undeterred, the Golden Lions reeled off the next seven points and continued to chip away as the minutes elapsed.
Still, the Spartans appeared in command with a 67-60 lead with under two minutes left before Dowling's final push. Corwin Austin scored the next three points with a foul shot and a steal for a breakaway lay-up to cut the deficit to four. After a Dixon jumper made the score 69-63 with 1:13 left, Leon Taylor converted a pair of free throws, and Darian Davis grabbed another steal and lay-up to cut the hosts' lead to two with just under a minute left.
A pair of misses by James Ockimey and Kellman opened the door and Davis hit a wild running back shot with 1.3 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime. There was more drama to be had as the teams exchanged a string of nine straight possessions with either a field goal or a free throw, with the lead changing hands on several occasions.
An Ockimey trey from straight away put STAC up 80-77 with 1:05 yet, but the fireworks were far from over. Davis converted two more foul shots to close to within one with 47 seconds remaining, and after a STAC turnover, Josh Malone was sent to the line for a pair with 20.0 seconds left. He missed the first and made the second, bringing his squad back to an 80-80 deadlock.
Justin Brown took charge in the final seconds but his fallaway jumper from 13 feet with five seconds left was off the mark. Kellman outbattled a pair of Dowling foes under the hoop to grab the board, and after a pair of pump fakes, was fouled going up with .03 seconds on the clock. He proceeded to hit both free throws, putting the hard-fought win in the books.
Brown led all scorers with 23 points and freshman TJ Jones added 21 for STAC, while Kellman added 15 and 10 rebounds. Davis led four Dowling scorers in double-figures with 18, along with Corwin Austin (15), Josh Malone (13) and Ron Baker (12). Justin Alexander led all rebounders with 12.
The Spartans return to action next Saturday, December 8, when they travel to face Molloy College.