WATERBURY, Conn. – Graduate forward Gianni Thompson hit a three with 8:16 left in regulation that seemed like it would be the dagger for Post University Men's Basketball as the Eagles opened up a 15-point lead on the University of Bridgeport at home on Wednesday evening. But just 8:07 later, Thompson would be at the line shooting for a chance to give Post the lead after the 15-point lead was squandered by the Eagles, and the game was tied at 74 all.

Despite only having six points on the day, none was bigger than the second of two free throws by Thompson, which he hit to give Post the lead by one before the defense stopped junior guard Zay Sullivan's jumper and a tip-in attempt by graduate forward Jason Edokpayi at the buzzer to hold on for a 75-74 win. 

THE BASIC

Post University 75, University of Bridgeport 74

Post University (9-11, 8-4 CACC)

University of Bridgeport (9-19, 6-6 CACC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Eight lead changes and four ties made up a tight first half between the in-state rivals in which six points would be the largest lead for either side through the opening 20 minutes of action. Junior guard Zion Lott led off the game with five points as part of an 8-2 start for the Eagles, whose six-point lead right off the bat was the largest they would have.

Lott closed the half with a team-high 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting, while freshman guard Harry Scully got hot from the floor, going 3-for-5 with eight points. The duo combined for 20 of the 32 first-half points for Post, going 8-for-12 overall, making up 66% of the first half makes from the floor by the Eagles, who were 12-for-31 (38.7%).

14 different players touched the court for Bridgeport in the first half, 12 of whom would record points, led by Sullivan's nine points on 4-for-8 shooting. The next closest scorer on a Purple Knights team that had a balanced attack was four points from sophomore guard Tyrell Staples-Santos. Bridgeport as a team went 15-for-36 (41.7%) from the field, while both teams hit five threes each and combined to shoot only six total free throws. Post held the edge in that category, making 3-of-4, while the Purple Knights were 1-for-2.

To end the first half, neither side would score for the final 2:30 of action, as well as make just one shot from the field out of their last nine heading into halftime, where Bridgeport led narrowly, 36-32.

It looked as though Post was going to coast to victory in the second half as the early flip-flopping of leads in the early part of the second half quickly turned into a double-digit lead for the Eagles. Trailing by one, 45-44, junior guard Ta'Quan Williams gave Post the lead with his bucket that spurred a 13-0 run over the next four minutes, in which he scored seven of those points, making it a 57-45 game.

The lead expanded to as many as 15 points, 67-52, with less than eight minutes left in regulation, when Thompson connected on a three that looked to be the dagger in the affair. But the Purple Knights would turn things around as following the Thompson three, they would respond with an 11-0 run in just three minutes that caused Post's lead to dwindle down to four points at the 5:18 mark. Despite keeping the lead around two possessions for the majority of the final stretch, with 2:03 to go, a dunk from Sullivan began the game-tying run by the Purple Knights.

After Sullivan made it a four-point game, 74-70, he would sink a three with 1:11 left that dropped the deficit down to one. Freshman guard John Dash Jr. would be fouled by Williams with 35 seconds left, splitting his shots, causing the game to be tied with Post having possession, but not the final shot. That was when the foul by Edokpayi sent Thompson to the line, and he would hit the backend of the two shots, giving Post their one-point lead, which they held on to as Sullivan's jumper and Edokpayi's tip-in were both no good as time expired on a 75-74 victory for the Eagles. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• Zion Lott led all scorers with his 21-point performance, going 7-for-13 from the field and hitting 3-of-4 shots from three-point land 
• Post University remains undefeated in conference play at home, winning all six of its home conference games, while losing two non-conference home games for an overall record of 6-2 in the Drubner Center
• At halftime this season, Post University is 6-0 when leading at halftime, while being 3-10 when trailing and 0-1 when tied
• Over the last two-plus seasons, Post University has won seven of its last eight games against the University of Bridgeport, with the one loss coming in last year's CACC Championship Game

WHO'S NEXT
This weekend, Post University will head on the road to face Holy Family University on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 PM. Back on December 6th, when the two teams met in the Drubner Center, the Eagles came away with their ninth consecutive win against the Tigers, 71-57.