KEUKA PARK, NY— After drawing a foul on a three-point attempt as time expired, Devin Milton sank the first free throw to give the Keuka Wolves their fourth Empire 8 victory of the season, defeating the visiting Houghton Highlanders in dramatic fashion, 90-89.
 
In a seesaw game that saw 14 lead changes, the Highlanders led by six points midway through the second half, only to see the Wolves come back to take the lead, 81-80, with less than six minutes remaining.
 
Keuka built a five point advantage, and still led by four after Milton hit a jumper with less than two minutes on the clock. 
 
But a layup by Luke Cole pulled Houghton within two, and Esafe Taufahema found David Rosa for a layup to tie the game with only 12 seconds remaining, setting up the dramatic final possession.
 
The Wolves brought the ball up the court and ran a screen for Milton, who received the ball on the left wing, pump-faked then elevated with 1.2 seconds left.  But as the buzzer sounded, a Highlander defender knocked Milton to the ground, sending him to the line for the game-winning free throw.
 
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 89 | Keuka – 90
Records: Houghton: 5-19 (4-13 Empire 8) | Keuka: 8-14 (4-13 Empire 8)
Venue: JMW Recreation and Athletics Center, Keuka College | Attendance: 217

NOTABLE STATS
>> Daniel Rosario scored a career-high 21 points, tying a Houghton record by sinking seven shots from beyond the arc.  He would finish 7-for-13 from three-point range, and would also add six rebounds and three assists.
 
>> Teammate Reece Gustafson chased Rosario all night long, draining 6-of-12 threes on the night, finishing with a career-high 20 points. 
 
>> Taufahema, Rosa, Cole and Jajuan Preaster would all finish with double-digit point totals, giving the Highlanders their highest number of double-digit scorers (6) this season.  Rosa also finished with team highs in rebounds (9) and assists (8).
 
>> Milton finished with a game-high 29 points to lead the Wolves.  He currently leads the Empire 8 with 20.9 points per game.
 
COACH'S CORNER
"My guys have fought through a lot of these tough, close losses. Tonight, our offense against a zone was as good as it's been all season and our defense was good for spurts. However, again we gave up over 30 points on turnovers and second chance points. That's just too many possessions and easy points to give away.
 
"Yet, we battled and gave ourselves a chance. The attitude and effort has been there from October 15th until now and that is why we've improved.
 
"Danny Rosario and Reece Gustafson had great shooting nights. A lot of credit goes to their teammates as well for finding them and putting passes on-time/on target." – Head Coach Jeremy Bialek
 
UP NEXT
Houghton heads to Utica tomorrow afternoon, where they will finish the regular season with a matchup with the Pioneers at 4:00 p.m.