Caroline Perry
Equinox Staff
The Owls soared over the Falcons in last Tuesday’s game against Albertus Magnus.
Big things happened for Ty Nichols as well. The senior set a new career high after he went 14 out of 15 at the free throw line, becoming the team’s new all-time leader in that category. On top of that, Nichols scored a new career high of 42 points, helping the owls take away a 105-96 victory in overtime. Nichols’ effort also included a 13 out of 26 from the field, helping him become the first Owl to score more than 40 points since Derek D’Amours in 2010.
Sophomore James Anozie kept pace and added a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds. Fellow sophomore Sidi Diallo made 8 out of 11 shots, adding up to 16 points.
Nichols started out with an early three-point play and a jumper, helping the Owls lead 7-2 less than three minutes in. However, the Falcons answered quickly, snagging the lead and later extending their lead to 18-11 at the 12:02 mark. The Falcons were able to lead for much of the remainder of the period.
First-year Paul Mahon’s triple tied the game at 29 with 5:40 to go. Consecutive layups from junior Ben Olson helped put the Owls ahead 35-34, but this was short lived after the Falcons made a pair of triples on the next two possessions. The Owls got within reaching point after Nichols’ free throws at the 1:45 mark, but went into the locker room with a 42-39 deficit.
The Owls remained behind at the start of the second half, but quickly found an opening, finishing a 15-7 burst with a layup from Diallo and a triple from Nichols. This put KSC ahead at a 56-55 lead at the 13:58 mark. It was a back-and-forth battle from there, but the Owls found their pace and began to separate from the Falcons midway through the stanza.
Sophomore Jordan Haywood made a three, Anozie converted inside and Diallo powered home a dunk for a 69-61 lead with 10:14 to go. The Owls worked to have the upper hand and took control with a little over five minutes remaining. Nichols and Diallo made jumpers to spread the lead back to 81-72 after the Falcons had gotten within four, but they had a hard time leading in the final minutes, pushing both teams into overtime.
The Owls quickly dominated the Falcons in overtime, scoring the first ten points and not letting up after that. Diallo opened the scoring with a layup and the Owls extended the lead by continuing to attack the basket, as Mahon made two buckets and Nichols one for a 99-89 lead with 1:51 on the clock. The Falcons lost momentum quickly after the Owls made 6-of-8 from the field in the extra session and all four free throws, leading by a game-high 11 in the final minute
Caroline Perry can be contacted at
cperry@kscequinox.com
