ALFRED, NY – Finally.  After six straight losses to the Alfred State Pioneers—all by four points or less—the Houghton Highlanders shed the proverbial monkey from their backs, defeating their cross-county, non-conference rivals in overtime, 89-84.
 
Lou Bellamy turned in his third consecutive double-double, posting 31 points and 12 rebounds, while Jajuan Preaster added 30 points and nine rebounds for the Highlanders.
 
Trailing by three with just over a minute remaining in regulation, the Highlanders trailed by three when Preaster hit a layup to make it a one-point game.
 
On the ensuing possession, Alfred State missed a layup, claimed a deadball rebound, and missed a three-pointer, which Houghton's Bryan Barroso grabbed before being fouled by the Pioneers.
 
Barroso hit the front end of a pair from the line, tying the game, but could not hit the second to finish the game.  The Pioneers would miss their last-second shot, sending the game to overtime.
 
In the extra period, Bellamy would hit a pair of free throws, then a layup, and the Highlanders would never look back, outscoring the Pioneers over the final minutes, 8-3, to claim the win.
 
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 89 | Alfred State – 84 (OT)  
Records: Houghton: 4-2  | Alfred State: 1-5
Venue: The Orvis Center, Alfred State College | Attendance: 100

NOTABLE STATS
>> Prior to tonight's contest, the last time Houghton defeated Alfred State was November 15, 2017. 
 
>> Bellamy hit 11-of-19 from the floor, 2-for-2 from three-point range, and 7-of-10 from the line.  He also added four assists.  Over the past week (three games), he has averaged 29.7 ppg and 13.3 rpg.
 
>> Preaster hit the 30-point mark for the first time this season, but he has posted double-digit points in all but one game, and scored at least 20 points on three separate occasions.  He currently leads the team in scoring with 20.0 points per game.  He now has 1,190 career points, moving him into sole possession of ninth place on the Houghton men's basketball career scoring board.  Preaster trails eight-place-holder, Yannick Anzuluni (2006-10), by 30 points.
 
>> Preston Thomas added 12 points and seven rebounds for Houghton.
 
>> Michael Miller led the Pioneers with 31 points, five boards, two blocks and two steals.
 
COACH'S CORNER
"Well, it is nice to finally put those six-straight heartbreaking losses to Alfred State behind us. The Pioneers gave us everything today and played well enough to win, but Lou Bellamy and Jajuan Preaster were an absolute load to deal with inside. All the points - 61 of our 89 - were nice, but that huge offensive rebound on the free throw miss late by Jajuan showed where we are.
 
"Back-to-back road wins within 24 hours against teams that won close games against us last year is very satisfying. We have plenty to work on Monday, yet there is satisfaction in closing out tight games that we will enjoy this weekend.
 
"Lou Bellamy has flat owned the paint this week. Almost 30 points per game, over 13 boards, 56% shooting from the floor, and over 80% from the line? It is hard to absorb those numbers. And still, no stat speaks to the calming leadership he provides for our team, too. We love Lou's smile and he had reason to flash it often this weekend.
 
"Jajuan Preaster was so good out of the gate this season, I think teams have worked hard and smart to take him away recently. Lou Bellamy has benefitted from teams not wanting to leave [Jajuan] or other shooters, but I just love how Jajuan picked his spots today, was patient, and hit open men when the defense was too focused on him." – Head Coach Jeremy Bialek
 
UP NEXT
The Highlanders return to the Nielsen Center on Tuesday, November 26, when they will host the Buffalo State Bengals at 6:00 p.m.  The two teams have not met since November 2011, when the Bengals defeated the Highlanders, 89-74.