HOUGHTON, NY – After trailing by 14 points with less than nine minutes to play, the Houghton Highlanders came within a bucket of knocking off the Russell Sage Gators in the waning seconds, but ultimately came away empty-handed, 90-92.
 
Houghton capitalized on a 10-0 run, including eight points from Tyson Clark during that stretch. 
 
Trailing by five with only 33 ticks left on the clock, Jake Verschoyle completed a touch three-point play.  DJ Oates then grabbed a clutch steal, and scored a layup on a dime from Emmanouil Manolopoulos with 18 seconds remaining.
 
That, however, would be as close as the Highlanders would come, as the teams traded free throws and fouls down the stretch, matching wits like a chess match that the Gators would eventually survive.
 
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 90 | Russell Sage – 92
Records: Houghton: 6-18 (3-12 Empire 8) | Russell Sage: 20-4 (12-3 Empire 8)
Venue: Dix Family Court, The Nielsen Center at Houghton University | Attendance: 158

NOTABLE STATS
>> The Gators sank 23-of-26 shots (88.5%) from the free throw line.
 
>> Tyson Clark scored a career-high 30 points, going 11-of-15 from the field, 3-for-6 from three-point range, and a perfect 5-for-5 from the line.  He also added five rebounds and four assists.  He has scored 20 or more points in a game seven times this season.
 
>> Jake Verschoyle scored 20 points, while Lou Bellamy added 16 points, 14 rebounds and four assists.  Bellamy has logged 13 double-doubles this season.  He now has 461 points this season, the exact same number of points he scored last season, but in five fewer games played.
 
Bellamy also surpassed 500 rebounds in his two-year Houghton career this evening.  He now has 511 as a Highlander, and had 46 in his freshman year at Johnson University. 
 
Last week Bellamy became the 29^th Houghton men's player to surpass 1,000 career points.  He is currently 295 points and 77 rebounds away from joining the career top-10 in each statistical category, respectively.
 
COACH'S CORNER
"They say close losses are on the coach, and that's how this feels. The guys gave so much to be in that game late with one of the best teams in the league. We handled the press, piled up assists, and crashed the offensive boards.
 
"I feel like I did not do enough to put us in a position to get stops and that key bucket. This crew has come so far since our blowout at Sage in January. I'm proud of them and know they'll put the work in to improve until the final horn sounds in Alfred on Tuesday.
 
"Tyson Clark was incredible against a tough defense. It wasn't just his scoring either. Five boards, four assists, and his typical lock-up defense are why we had a chance to win this one.
 
"Jake [Verschoyle] turned a corner today in his approach. He seemed more calculated and still aggressive. He finished some tough shots late to key our comeback.
 
"Lou [Bellamy] had a really solid second half when we needed him the most. We ask a lot of him. Another double-double plus four assists. Don't miss the fact that he is growing because of the consistent numbers he contributes." – Head Coach Jeremy Bialek
 
UP NEXT
The Highlanders will close out the regular season this Tuesday, February 17, when they will travel to Alfred University for a matchup with the Saxons at 7:30 p.m.