Chad Hunt drilled a 30-footer with 1.9 seconds left in overtime
as Lake Erie College clinched first place and Pitt-Bradford was
eliminated from the playoffs with a 78-76 Allegheny Mountain
Collegiate Conference decision at the Sport & Fitness Center on
Friday.
“We had the game won,” said Andy Moore, Pitt-Bradford head
coach. “That kid (Hunt) had made just one shot all game and then he
makes one from 30 feet.”
At 7-10 and in seventh place in the AMCC, the Panthers find
themselves on the short end of the tiebreakers with La Roche
College (8-9) and Frostburg State (8-9) for the six-team
tournament. It is the first time in the nine-year history of the
AMCC the Panthers have failed to qualify for the league
tournament.
“We put ourselves in this situation,” Moore lamented. “How many
close games have we lost?”
The Panthers led 33-27 at the half and then built a 49-32 bulge
with 16:02 remaining. Reggie Richardson then scored 20 of the
Storm’s next 22 points, including a three-pointer with eight
seconds left that sent the contest into overtime at 65 apiece.
Pitt-Bradford came into the contest ranked second in Division
III in free throw shooting (79 percent), but the Panthers only
converted 1-of-5 from the charity stripe in the last 40 seconds of
regulation.
“You have to make free throws when it counts,” Moore stated. “It
doesn’t matter if you are second in the nation.”
The Panthers took a 76-75 lead with 6.6 seconds left in overtime
when a pass from Shawn Spindler led to a pair of successful free
throws by Rob Copley.
The Storm then cracked the fullcourt pressure, Hunt swished his
three-pointer from the top of the key and the Storm intercepted the
inbounds pass to seal the Panthers’ fate.
“It’s been the same story all season,” Moore declared. “We don’t
know how to win games.”
Ryan Race had 23 points and 14 rebounds, Spindler added 18
points, Dan Thomas had 16 points and Copley contributed 12 points
for the Panthers (10-14). Richardson led all scorers with 33 points
for Lake Erie (19-5, 15-2).
Pitt-Bradford will host La Roche College today at 6 p.m.
