Free throw lifts EKU men to triple-overtime thriller

Colonels blow couple of leads in extra periods before putting it away, ending two game losing streak

RICHMOND, Ky. (EKU Athletics) – Eastern Kentucky outlasted Kennesaw State in the Colonels longest game in over 20 years, claiming an 82-81 triple-overtime victory over the Owls on Thursday night in McBrayer Arena.

Cooper Robb opened triple-overtime with a four-point play to put EKU (11-12, 3-6 ASUN) up 78-74 and Russhard Cruickshank followed with a three of his own to push the lead to seven with 2:58 on the clock. The Owls capitalized on a pair of Eastern turnovers to make the score 81-79 with 1:48 remaining. Kennesaw State (9-13, 4-5 ASUN) hit two free throws with 32 second to go to pull even. On EKU’s final possession, Jomaru Brown was fouled and hit his second free throw to give the Colonels and 82-81 lead with 3.1 seconds left. Eastern deflected the long inbound pass to seal the win in its longest game since a 108-100 quadruple-overtime win over Tennessee-Martin on Jan. 24, 2002.

Michael Moreno paced the Colonels with 21 points and nine rebounds, while Robb added 16 points and seven assists. Brown finished with 15 points and Michael Wardy added 10 points. The game featured eight ties and 17 lead changes.

A low-scoring first half opened with EKU holding a 9-8 lead after eight minutes of play. Brown and Tariq Balogun combined to score Eastern’s next eight points as Balogun’s dunk put the Colonels ahead 17-12 at the 8:34 mark. The slam also opened an 8-2 run that saw EKU’s lead grow to nine with under five minutes left in the half.

Kennesaw State whittled the lead down to five with 2:50 to play before halftime, then scored the final nine points of the half to take a 31-27 lead into the locker room.

After going 3-for-12 from beyond the arc in the first half, EKU buried its four of its first five triples of the second stanza to go up 41-39 with 14:52 to play. However, the Colonels missed their next seven shots from long range as the Owls embarked on an 11-3 run to build a 50-44 lead at the midway point of the second half.

Threes from Jannson Williams and Brown halted the KSU run and EKU reclaimed the lead on a Robb floater with 6:16 left in the game. From there, the lead changed hands six times over the next four and a half minutes.

EKU’s defense forced a shot clock violation with 1:01 to go and Robb found Wardy alone under the hoop on the next possession to give the Colonels a 60-59 lead with 45 seconds remaining. Kennesaw State missed a layup and the ensuing putback, allowing Wardy to grab the rebound with 10 seconds on the clock. After a missed EKU free throw, the Owls went to the line with 1.4 seconds left. KSU hit the first attempt, but missed the second to send the game to overtime.

Moreno opened the extra period with back-to-back threes to put the Colonels up 66-62 at the 3:15 mark. Kennesaw State answered with four consecutive points to tie the game, but Wardy threw down a lob from Moreno to put EKU back on top with 58 seconds left. The Owls answered again with a tying layup with 31 seconds on the clock. EKU had two looks at the winning shot, but neither would fall as the game went to double-overtime knotted at 68-68.

Kennesaw State took a 72-68 lead with 3:04 left in the second overtime, but Curt Lewis answered with a layup to bring the Colonels within a basket. KSU pushed back in front, 74-70, but Wardy thundered down another dunk to cut the deficit to 74-72 with 1:52 to go. Following an offensive rebound, Robb netted a pair of free throws to tie the game with 1:13 remaining. After the teams traded turnovers, the Colonel defense held off KSU on the final possession to force a third overtime.

EKU shot 29-of-66 (43.9 percent) from the field and was 13-of-35 (37.1 percent from three-point range. KSU held a 51-38 edge on the glass, but went 6-of-14 from the charity stripe. Shooting into a raucous student section, the Owls missed their first four free throws of the third overtime.

Eastern Kentucky hosts Liberty Saturday night at 7:00 p.m.