By: Laura Chapman
Assistant Sports Information Director
chapmal@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net
WASHINGTON, Pa. – In a rescheduled contest, the Juniata College men's basketball team suffered a tough loss to Washington & Jefferson College (W&J) in double overtime, 79-73. Seniors Brian Scholly (State College, Pa./State College) and Lucas Mellott (Warfordsburg, Pa./Southern Fulton) both earned a double-double, Scholly with 15 points and 13 rebounds and Mellott with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and classmate Kevin Stapleton (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) had a team-high 20 points.
The game opened with a steady back and forth with both teams earning and then surrendering the lead. The Presidents jumped ahead at 9-8 on a foul shot and held the 11-8 lead for a few minutes, but the Eagles drove back with a three-point play from Stapleton. With W&J gaining some momentum, Mellott dished a beautiful ball inside to Stapleton who put it away to stop the Presidents' momentum.
With just over eight minutes remaining, Scholly blocked two shots in a row with the second block picked up by senior Jeremy Hays (McMechen, W.Va./John Marshall). Hays dished the ball out to Mellott for a fast break, a lay up, and an 11-2 Juniata run to put the Eagles up seven with 2:40 to go.
Juniata continued to outwork W&J tacking on six more points in the closing two minutes of play to go into halftime with a 32-21 lead. Hays put up 12 points in the opening half and Scholly pulled down seven of the teams impressive 20 total rebounds.
The Eagles didn't miss a beat out of the break, increasing their lead to 44-30 with Scholly sinking two treys and a jumper in the first three and a half minutes of action and forcing a W&J timeout. At the halfway mark of the second period, Juniata held an 11-point lead at 49-38. Just as W&J cut the Eagles lead down to eight, senior Pat Cassidy (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg) had a monster put back jumping over two Presidents for the 10 point Juniata lead.
Inside of four minutes to go, the Presidents were able to cut the Juniata lead to six. With 2:55 left, Curley called a timeout with his team leading 55-49. A series of made free throws brought W&J to within two with just over a minute remaining. Scholly made a jumper at the shot clock buzzer with 41 seconds left for the 57-53 Juniata lead. W&J's Doug Johnson hit a long three with 18.8 to go to pull to within one.
On the next play Cassidy made a layup under the basket for the three-point lead before the Presidents ran the length of the floor converting a three-point play and sending the game into the first overtime period tied at 59-59.
Both teams made a series of defensive stops out the of the break and Juniata grabbed a three-point lead, at 64-61, from six made free throws with just over a minute to go. Curley called a time out with 15 seconds left on the shot clock and 33 seconds left in the game. The Eagles couldn't make the shot go and the Presidents responded with a good shot from the key to pull within one with 11.8 seconds remaining.
Stapleton drained two foul shots for the three-point lead with 11 seconds on the clock. W&J's Mike Resnik threw up a wishful trey that somehow went in to send the game to double overtime. W&J took a one-point lead and made a good defensive stop for possession, but Mellott grabbed a steal and made a fast break layup for the Eagles one-point lead. The Presidents converted on a three-point play with their next possession for the two point lead before Mellott tied the game at 71-71 with two made free-throws at three minutes to go.
Stapleton's turnaround jump shot tied the game at 73-73 before W&J hit a three and added three made foul shots for 79-73 final.
The Eagles will be back in action at home Jan. 3 for the first day of the Juniata Holiday Tournament when they face off against Valley Forge Christian College at 7 p.m. in Kennedy Sports + Recreation Center.
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