MOORE, Ok. - In a game that lived up to every bit of the hype surrounding it, the Randall University Saints came back from down 12 to force overtime and beat Manhattan Christian by a score of 96-87. The hot outside shooting of Manhattan (10-12 from 3 in the first half, 14-29 for the game) faced off against the attacking offense of Randall, who shot 56 free throws in the game. Despite trailing for almost the entire game, the Saints fought their way back led by Trey Sneed and his 27 point performance, as well as a double-double off the bench from Isaac Bowles, who provided 19 points and 10 rebounds. Xavier Hunter finished second in scoring for Randall with 20 points, and Kashus Lyons poured in 16 points while contributing 8 boards.
1st Half - Despite jumping out to an early lead, the Saints found themselves down for almost the entire half. The Thunder grabbed their biggest lead of the game with just over 10 minutes remaining in the half on a 3-pointer by Gabe Awbrey, putting Manhattan up 31-19. Following a Randall timeout by Coach Berokoff, the Saints went on a 12-0 run to tie the game, keeping the Thunder scoreless for over 6 minutes. Another Thunder run put them up 43-33, before Randall was able to shorten the gap to 45-39 at half. Despite their defensive struggles in the first half, Adam Morales was able to grab 4 steals in the first half, helping the Saints cut into the Thunder lead.
2nd Half - The Saints used extremely efficient offense (52 FG%) in the second half, led by Sneed's 18 second half points, to come back and send the game to overtime. Randall continued to trail until the 9 minute mark when they took a 63-62 lead on a jumper from Lyons. There were 6 lead changes and multiple ties down the stretch, and after Trey Sneed hit 1 of 2 free throws with 27 seconds left to tie the game at 81-81, the Thunder were unable to score and the game went to overtime. Randall's defense was key in the second half, as they were able to keep Manhattan under 40% from the field, and only allowed 4-11 from 3 in the second half.
Overtime - Randall dominated overtime 15-6 behind 5 points from Lyons, and 4 points from Hunter. The Saints continued their defensive excellence displayed in the second half, only giving up 5 overtime points to Manhattan.
The Saints now have ten days off until they travel to Dallas Christian on the 20th.