(box score)
Widener fell victim to a 3-pointer by Elizabethtown both near the end of regulation and overtime for a tough 76-75 Commonwealth Conference loss at Schwartz Center.
Senior Chris McDevitt (Doylestown, PA) drilled a clutch 3-pointer with 26 seconds left to give Widener a 67-64 lead. Keith Fogel canned two free throws with 19 seconds remaining to bring Elizabethtown to a one-point deficit.
Junior Jack Brennan (Stratford, NJ) missed the front end of a 1-and-1 for the Pride with 18 seconds left, but his teammates bailed him out. Joe Flanagan was stripped by junior BJ Smith (Baltimore, MD) as he was driving and the loose ball was picked up by junior Perry Wright (Severn, MD), who hit twice from the line with 11 seconds to go for a 69-66 Widener lead.
Elizabethtown ran into great Widener defense as it looked for the tie. However, that defense was breached when Fogel drilled the tying 3-pointer from the left wing with 1.8 seconds left for the Blue Jays' only long ball in the second half.
The Pride in overtime took a 74-71 lead with 1:01 left on a jumper from senior Jarrell Nelson (Waldorf, MD). Fogel was fouled on the other end and hit two free throws with 55 seconds to play for a one-point contest.
Smith made 1-of-2 from the stripe with 46 seconds remaining for a 75-73 Widener lead, setting up the last possession.
Again the Pride's defense played tough, but the Blue Jays found a way. Fogel had the ball on the right wing and passed it to Brian Allport, who banked in a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left for Elizabethtown's first lead in overtime at 76-75.
Widener looked for the win, but Wright's jumper from the right wing bounced off the rim at the buzzer.
Brennan closed with a season-high 21 points to go with 14 rebounds that matched a personal best for Widener, which shot 43 percent (29-of-68) from the field. Wright netted 14 points, Nelson scored 11 and McDevitt added 10.
Fogel scored 25 points, Allport netted 11 and Bryan Harrity hauled in 11 rebounds for the Blue Jays, who shot 42 percent (27-of-64) overall.
Widener next Wednesday steps out of conference play to host DeSales, beginning at 7:30 pm.
