Box Score
Ohio Wesleyan 81, Allegheny 76
Sophomore post Claude Gray (Avon) scored to send the game into overtime and senior guard Taylor Rieger (Lewis Center/Olentangy Orange) put the Bishops ahead to stay in the extra session, and both players sank a pair of free throws down the stretch as 14th-ranked Ohio Wesleyan defeated Allegheny in North Coast Athletic Conference action on Saturday at Branch Rickey Arena.
Allegheny had broken a 61-61 tie with a pair of Josh Valentic 3-pointers, the latter coming with 1:19 left in regulation time.
Junior wing Nick Felhaber (Holland/Toledo St. John's) answered with a 3-pointer to bring the Bishops within 67-64 with a minute to go. Having committed only 3 team fouls to that point during the second half, Ohio Wesleyan had to foul 4 times before the Gators would head to the charity stripe, with Allegheny's Evan Zabriski making both ends of the resulting one-and-one for a 69-64 Gator lead with :36 to go.
Felhaber knocked down another 3-pointer to bring the Bishops within 69-67, and it looked good for Ohio Wesleyan when the Bishop press induced a turnover by Valentic with :18 left. Allegheny got the ball right back, however, when the inbounds pass was deflected and went off senior wing Dre White (Lima/Bath) and out of bounds.
The Bishops fouled John O'Donnell at the :15 mark, and O'Donnell missed the front end of the one-and-one, with White clearing the defensive rebound. On the other end, Rieger found Gray open inside, and Gray's lay-in evened the score at 69 with :07 to play.
The Gators got a look at a game-winning shot, but Valentic's 3-pointer was off the mark.
Senior post Reuel Rogers (Columbus/Bexley) gave the Bishops the lead in overtime, but Allegheny responded with a Ryan Stanko 3-ponter for a 72-71 advantage. Gray countered with a jumper for a 73-72 Bishop lead with 1:37 to go.
D'Andre Corbin hit the first of 2 free throws with 1:08 to play to even the game at 73, but the Gators were called for a lane violation on the second shot, giving the ball back to Ohio Wesleyan.
Rieger sank a jumper at the :42 mark on the ensuing possession for a 75-73 Bishop lead, and freshman guard Seth Clark (Lewis Center/Olentangy) and Gray each hit a pair of free throws to extend the margin to 79-73 with :10 left.
Valentic hit a 3-pointer with :04 to play to bring the Gators within 79-76, but Rieger was fouled and sank both free throws with :02 remaining to seal the outcome.
Ohio Wesleyan built an early 8-3 lead behind 3-pointers by Rieger and Gray, and the Bishops pushed the lead to 16-9 on a pair of Felhaber 3-pointers.
The Bishops still led, 25-17, with 5:41 left in the first half, but Allegheny would hold Ohio Wesleyan without a field goal for the remainder of the half and came back to knot the score at 26 on Marco Corona's lay-in.
Allegheny heated up from outside midway through the second half, getting a pair 3-pointers from Sam Calhoun and another by O'Donnell during a 13-2 run that turned a 43-42 Ohio Wesleyan lead into a 55-45 Allegheny advantage.
The Gators still led, 57-48, with 8:20 to go, but Ohio Wesleyan went on a 13-4 run highlighted by a Rogers steal-and-dunk, along with 2 additional Rogers hoops and a Felhaber 3-pointer, to pull even at 61 with 2:48 to play.
Rogers led the Bishops with 20 points, while Felhaber finished with 18. Rieger and Gray added 14 apiece, with Rieger sharing the Bishop lead with 6 assists. Clark scored 10 points and shared the team lead with 6 assists, and White led all players with a career-high 14 rebounds.
Valentic led Allegheny with 16 points.
Box Score
