BJ Smith Drills Another Game-Winning 3-Pointer at the Buzzer, Lifting Men's Basketball Past Elizabethtown

(box score) / (Video and Gordon Mann's call on D3Hoops.com at 1:46:00)
(YouTube clip of winning shot)

With Widener's season on the line at the 11th hour and in need of another clutch shot, who else would the team turn to but junior BJ Smith (Baltimore, MD).

It an ending that has become commonplace, Smith hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Widener a dramatic and much-needed 65-62 Commonwealth Conference victory at Elizabethtown.

Widener scored five straight points, a run which began with Smith canning a 3-pointer and ending on a layup from sophomore Adam Ahern (West Grove, PA), for a 54-49 lead with 7:09 left.

The margin grew to 62-55 with 3:15 to go on a layup from junior Perry Wright (Severn, MD).

Elizabethtown began to chip away, getting a 3-pointer from Tom Cooney with 1:09 left for a 62-58 deficit and a tough layup from Keith Fogel with 38 seconds to go for a 62-60 margin.

The Blue Jays at this point had three team fouls in the half and needed four more to make the Pride guard the lead from the line. Elizabethtown fouled three times, but a fourth was not necessary as Widener threw the ball away with 20 seconds left.

Elizabethtown went for the tie and got the ball to Andrew Mantz, who was fouled and hit two free throws with 4.3 seconds remaining for a 62-62 tie.

As is there was any doubt who was getting the ball for the Pride, Smith was called on to deliver. After all, this was the same player who hit a 35-foot shot January 16, 2010 and banked home a 65-footer January 15 to win games against Lebanon Valley.

Smith took the inbound, dribbled toward the right wing and banked home a 30-foot runner as time expired.

The win was even more dramatic considering the Pride would have been eliminated from conference tournament contention with a loss. Widener (11-12, 6-6 CC) sits one game behind Elizabethtown (16-6, 7-5) and Albright (7-5) for the final spot in the four-team tournament. The Pride lose tiebreakers to both the Blue Jays and the Lions.

Jarrell Nelson (Waldorf, MD) scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, fellow senior Chris McDevitt (Doylestown, PA) netted 11, Ahern had 10 with Smith and freshman Andrew Radomicki (Media, PA) adding eight apiece.

Widener shot 56 percent (14-of-25) from the field in the second half, 54 percent (26-of-48) overall, 7-of-11 from 3-point range and won despite not attempting a free throw in the second half.

Fogel ended with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, Mantz had 13 off the bench and Kyle McConnell finished with 11, eight assists and six steals for Elizabethtown, which shot 42 percent (20-of-48) from the field.

Widener on Tuesday hosts Arcadia at 8:00 pm. Donations will be accepted to raise money for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund for breast cancer awareness as part of the WBCA “Pink Zone.”

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