Brett Blackstock scored a game-high 22 points as the Multnomah Lions opened the 2017-17 season with a heart-breaking 75-73 loss to visiting Maine-Fort Kent Saturday afternoon.
MAINE-FT. KENT 75, MULTNOMAH 73: Lions Lanced by Bengals in ‘17-18 Hoops Opener
PORTLAND, Ore. – In a heart-breaking men's basketball season opener, Multnomah University rallied from eight points down with less than five minutes left to take a late lead, only to have the visiting University of Maine-Fort Kent Bengals score just before the buzzer for a 75-73 win over the host Lions Saturday afternoon here at Lytle Gym.
Multnomah had overcome a 10-point deficit early in the second half to go ahead 59-57 with 7:56 left on a pair of
Ben Grandle free throws following a technical foul on the Bengals. Fort Kent answered with 10 points in a row, including three-pointers by Bobby Syvanthong and Johnathon Caldwell, to build a 67-59 advantage with 4:58 remaining. The Lions responded again with a 12-2 run, capped by a
Max Upchurch three, to regain the lead 71-69 with 2:26 to play.
Travis Harlin tied it for the Bengals with a jumper before Grandle gave Multnomah its final lead of 73-71 with two more charity tosses at the 1:27 mark. Larry Wickett knotted it for UMFK 16 seconds later, and the Bengals missed a three following a steal with 36 ticks left, giving the Lions a chance to break the tie.
Trent Baker's driving layup with 21 seconds left rolled in and out, and Syvanthong, after a Bengals' timeout with 13 seconds left, penetrated for the winning layup with .03 left on the clock. A length-of-the-court desperation shot by the Lions was far off the mark.
--- By the Numbers: The Lions'
Brett Blackstock led all scorers with 22 points, Grandle posted a double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds, and Baker added 13 points. Baker and
Darius Redrick handed out four assists each.
Maine-Fort Kent got 15 points from Anthony Knight, 14 from Troy Williams (13 in the first half), and 13 from Syvanthong. Thomas Enerva grabbed seven rebounds, while Syvanthong added four assists and three steals.
Neither team shot particularly well from the field, Multnomah connecting on 21-of-59 (.356) and UMFK 29-of-74 (.392). The Lions were sharp at the line, however, sinking 24-of-27 (.889) to only 12-of-24 (.500) for the Bengals. The Lions owned the glass 50-42, but made 18 turnovers to eight for Fort Kent.
Multnomah is 0-1, while Maine-Fort Kent evened its record at 1-1.
--- Quoting coach Curt Bickley: "Our turnovers in the first half really came back to haunt us. It was a great game. They made a big play at the end to win it; hats off to them."
--- Next: Multnomah hosts California State University-Maritime next Saturday at 12:00 noon … Maine-Fort Kent continues its six-game road trip to the Pacific Northwest Monday with a 7:00 p.m. game at New Hope Christian College in Eugene, Ore.