HOUGHTON, NY – The Brockport Golden Eagles held off one final attempt by the Houghton Highlanders to knock off the top-ranked team in the Empire 8 men's basketball standings, escaping the Nielsen Center with a 107-105 overtime win.
 
After playing to a 48-48 draw at the half, the two teams exchanged leads throughout the second half.  But with only a minute to play, and the Golden Eagles up by four, Christian Sage hit a pair of free throws to bring Houghton back within a basket. 
 
Brockport missed a three-pointer at the other end and Preston Thomas grabbed the rebound.  With nine seconds left, Lou Bellamy drove the lane and finished the lay-in to tie the game.  With only one second remaining, Trey Flatt stole the ball, but the Highlanders could not convert and the game went to overtime.
 
In the extra time the Golden Eagles jumped out to a quick six-point lead, and led by as many as seven points with only 28 seconds left on the clock. 
 
A three-point play by Jajuan Preaster, and a bucket from Preston Thomas with eight seconds remaining pulled Houghton within two. 
 
With three seconds left, a foul put the Golden Eagles on the line for a one-and-one.  After Brockport missed the first free throw, Lou Bellamy grabbed the rebound; but, with no timeouts, Houghton rushed to get off a shot and failed to convert, allowing the Golden Eagles to escape with the victory.
 
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 105 | Brockport – 107 (OT)
Records: Houghton: 13-11 (8-7 Empire 8) | Brockport: 15-9 (13-2 Empire 8)
Venue: The Nielsen Center, Houghton University| Attendance: 256

NOTABLE STATS
>> Christian Sage hit his first seven shots of the game and finished with a season-high 32 points and four assists.  He has scored at least 20 points in a game nine times this season.
 
>> Preaster and Bellamy both finished with 19 points and six rebounds apiece.    Preaster now has 1,446 career points, only 35 points behind sixth-place-holder Dylan Lambert ('19), and 57 points behind fifth-place-holder Darren Berkley ('93).
 
>> Trey Flatt recorded nine points, three steals, and a career-best 13 assists, while Preston Thomas chipped in 16 points.
 
>> Five Golden Eagles reached double-digit points, led by Jacob Oka (23 points, nine rebounds) and Mekhi Beckett (26 points).
 
COACH'S CORNER
"That was a good college basketball game and, like last night, had a tournament feel about it. Credit to Brockport for making enough plays to win, but a big credit to our guys for the effort, clutch buckets, stops, etc.

"The last two days show we are ready to compete with the best in the conference. Someone will win three straight games and go dancing. Why not us?
 
"I was blessed to see Christian Sage, Jajuan Preaster, Preston Thomas, Trey Flatt, David Rosa, and Luke Cole all play well on Senior Day. Christian was in another stratosphere in that first half.

"Jajuan and Preston contributed some big buckets in second half runs. How about Trey's 13 assists? That is some incredible distribution. This has been a special group and showed today that we will be dangerous in the post-season." -- Head Coach Jeremy Bialek

UP NEXT
The Highlanders return to the Nielsen Center on Tuesday, February 18 for the regular season finale against conference rival Alfred University at 7:30 p.m.