Box Score
WATERBURY, Conn. – Despite career-highs in scoring from juniors
Jerry Cummings (Queens, N.Y.) and
Zach Krischer (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) and a five-point lead in the final minute of the first overtime period, the Post University men's basketball team dropped a 96-94 double overtime decision to American International College in non-conference action at the Drubner Center on Sunday afternoon. Krischer finished with a game-high 30 points and Cummings chipped in 27 points, 22 of which came after halftime.
Krischer shot 7-for-16 from beyond the three-point arc and 7-for-8 at the free throw line. Cummings went 9-for-19 from the field, 4-for-6 from distance, grabbed nine rebounds and added three steals. Senior
Jake Wilcox (Kent, Wash.) matched a season-high with 11 assists and five steals to lead all players in both categories.
After the Eagles erased a nine-point deficit, Cummings tied the game at 74-74 as time expired in regulation with a left-wing jump shot. Post (9-4) opened the first overtime on a 7-2 run over a span of 2:44 to build an 81-76 lead, but the Yellow Jackets tied the game at 81-81 over a span of three seconds. Cummings had the final look at the basket in the first overtime with a chance to give the Eagles a win, but his shot came up short and the teams went into a second overtime.
AIC (5-5) scored 11 of the first 16 points of the second overtime to seize a 92-86 advantage with 1:27 to play; however, Krischer and Cummings hit five free throws to pull within one, 92-91. Mark Ellis, Jr. and Janek Schmidkunz went 3-for-4 at the foul line to ice the game for the Yellow Jackets. Junior
Derrick Strong (St. Louis, Mo.) hit a three-pointer as time expired to arrive at the final margin.
With Post trailing 52-40 and 15:42 to play in regulation, it used a 19-8 run over a span of 5:41 to bring the Eagles within one, 60-59. Cummings scored the first five points of the run and junior
Travis Carbajal (Oklahoma City, Okla.) converted his second three-point play of the night. Krischer added a three-pointer and capped the run when he split a pair of free throws with 9:41 remaining in regulation.
After AIC swelled its lead back to 10 points, 69-59, the Eagles used a 22-7 swell over a span of 8:41 to claim their first lead of the night. During the run, Krischer netted six consecutive points on the strength of three foul shots and a triple, while Cummings gave Post its first advantage of the day, 76-74, on a layup with 3:32 to go. The lead got as large as five for the Eagles, 81-76, after a Cummings foul shot with 48 seconds remaining.
After Post pulled to within four, 14-10, on a layup by Cummings with 13:11 to play in the stanza, AIC used a 16-5 run over a span of 4:24 to build a 30-15 lead. However, the Eagles scored the next seven points to pull within in eight, 30-22, with 5:30 to play in the stanza. Krischer netted five of the seven points, while Wilcox added a layup.
Post pulled to within eight with 1:53 to play in the opening half after Carbajal converted a three-point play. Freshman
Gediminas Juozapavicius (Kedainiai, Lithuania) scored the Eagles' final four points of the period on a pair of layups in the final minute. He converted a left-handed layup that beat the final buzzer to make the halftime score 44-35.
For the game the Eagles shot 13-for-31 from beyond the three-point arc and created 32 AIC turnovers which led to 36 points for Post. It held a 19-9 margin on the offensive glass. The 19 offensive rebounds led to 19 second chance points.
Post will conclude a four-game homestand on Thursday, Jan. 3, when it hosts Bloomfield, the CACC North Division preseason favorites, at the Drubner Center. Game time is set for 8 p.m.
