(box score) / (Bobby Edmunds' game-winning shot on YouTube)
As if there were not enough dramatics and close games in Widener’s season, senior Bobby Edmunds (Linwood, NJ) made sure to provide one more.
Edmunds drilled a jumper at the buzzer to help Widener rally from an 11-point first-half deficit and stun first-place Albright, 49-48, in Commonwealth Conference play in Reading, PA.
Sophomore Jack Brennan (Stratford, NJ) hit a shot with 2:40 left to give Widener a 45-41 lead. The Pride (11-9, 4-5 CC) looked to keep the Lions in check, but they could not contain Zac Shaeffer. Drilling his sixth and final 3-pointer of the night, Shaeffer’s bucket with 1:20 remaining made it a 45-44 contest.
Edmunds misfired on a 3-pointer and Albright’s Derek Hall followed with a pair of free throws with 18 seconds to play for a 46-45 margin.
The lead was short lived. Following a Widener timeout, sophomore Onyi Ezeala (Piscataway, NJ) slashed to the basket and made a layup with eight seconds left for a 47-46 lead.
Albright (16-3, 7-2) got a huge break as a foul was called on Widener outside the three-point circle, sending Shaeffer to the line with 5.2 seconds remaining. Shaeffer canned both free throws for a 48-47 Lions cushion.
Surely, Widener knew what to do in this situation. One of its biggest wins of the season occurred 18 days earlier when sophomore BJ Smith (Baltimore, MD) canned a 35-foot shot at the buzzer for a victory at Lebanon Valley. There was no panic in Widener and Edmunds saved the day.
Edmunds took the inbounds pass, dribbled to the right wing and drained an 18-footer to send the visitors home elated. Widener improved to 3-3 in games decided by fewer than six points or in overtime.
Junior Jarrell Nelson (Waldorf, MD) had 10 points and nine rebounds with Brennan adding 10 and eight for the Pride, who sit one game behind Alvernia, Elizabethtown and Messiah for a conference tournament berth.
The Pride, who trailed 19-8 with 9:52 left in the opening half, held the Lions to a mere 20 percent shooting (5-of-25) in the second half and 28 percent (15-of-53) overall.
Shaeffer did all he could with 24 points on 7-of-15 shooting and Hall grabbed 16 rebounds for Albright, which entered the game just four voting points shy of making D3Hoops.com Top 25 Poll.
Widener on Saturday hosts Lebanon Valley at 3:00 pm.