OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Benedictine University Mesa (Arizona) broke an 84-84 tie on a free throw with 1:58 left and the Redhawks went on to defeat The Evergreen State College 91-87 at the Constantino Recreation Center on Thursday, Nov. 13. Tony Frohlich-Fair (Sr., W) of Evergreen led all players with 28 points. Isaiah Howard topped the Redhawks with 25 points, while Luis Marin added 21 points.
With the win, Benedictine Mesa improved to 5-0 on the season. Evergreen fell to 0-2.
Evergreen held an 82-20 lead after Bradley Graham (Sr., G) scored on a jump shot with 3:10 remaining in the game.Benedictine Mesa moved in front 84-82 following a jumper by Marin with 2:42 to play and a layup by Kamron Robinson with 2:31 to go. The Geoducks tied the game when Frohlich-Fair put in a layup at the 2:27 mark.
The Redhawks broke the 84-84 tie when Malik Payton hit 1 of 2 free throws with 1:58 on the clock. The free throw started a 7-3 run by Benedictine Mesa to finish the game.
Evergreen trailed 89-87 with 24 seconds left, but Kenzel Massey (So., G) missed a 3-point shot for the Geoducks. Payton added the final two points for Benedictine Mesa at the free throw line.
In addition to scoring 28 points, Frohlich-Fair provided Evergreen with seven boards, three assists, and a steal. Frohlich-Fair was 11 of 18 from the field and hit 3 of 5 three-pointers. Massey tacked on 11 points, including three 3-point shots. Jordan Smalls (Jr., G) scored 10 points and was 5 for 5 on field goals. Graham finished with eight points, four assists, and three steals.
Nathan Behr (Sr., G) hauled down six rebounds for the Geoducks, while Jemoi Davis (Sr., W) earned five boards. Gabriel Wigginton (Jr., W) matched Graham for the team lead with four assists.
Howard and Marin led the Benedictine Mesa offense. Two other Redhawks reached double figures, as Robinson scored 16 points and Payton accumulated 13 points. Marin was 10 of 14 on field goals, while Howard made 10 of 16 shots. Howard, Robinson, Payton, and Aiden Olmstead each grabbed five rebounds to lead Benedictine Mesa. Howard and Eric Blackwell each earned four assists, while Robinson was credited with three steals.
Benedictine Mesa shot 57.1% for the game (36 of 63), including 3 of 9 (33.3%) from 3-point range. The Redhawks sank 16 of 24 free throws (66.7). Evergreen held a 35-33 rebounding margin, including a 13-8 edge in offensive boards. The Geoducks connected on 47.9% of their field goals (34 of 71), while hitting 13 of 29 three-point shots (44.8%). Evergreen made 6 of 7 free throw attempts (85.7%).
The Redhawks shot out to a 9-2 lead in the first three minutes. Robinson scored two baskets for a 4-2 advantage, before Payton added a 3-point shot, and Robinson completed the run with a layup. A bit later, the Redhawks held an 18-9 edge, before the Geoducks pulled within 22-19 on a traditional three-point play by Frohlich-Fair with 6:44 on the clock. The Geoducks eventually claimed a 32-29 lead at the 2:10 mark after consecutive three-pointers by Behr and Wigginton.
Evergreen also led 34-31 on a layup by Massey with 1:18 left in the half. Robinson cut the lead to a single point with two free throws for the Redhawks with 35 seconds to play and Blackwell gave Benedictine Mesa a 36-34 halftime lead when he hit a 3-point shot at the buzzer.
The second half featured 11 ties and six lead changes. Evergreen owned a 46-40 advantage as the clock reached 17:13 on a pair of free throws by Frohlich-Fair. A bit later, Benedictine Mesa was in front 53-50 on a layup by Marin with 13:57 to play, but Evergreen countered with an 8-0 run for a 58-53 advantage just 1:43 later. The run began with a 3-pointer by Massey and ended with a 3-pointer by Laff.
With 8:28 to go, the teams were tied 65-65 after Howard converted a traditional three-point play. The score was deadlocked seven more times before Payton's go-ahead free throw for the Redhawks with 1:58 remaining
Evergreen will be back in action on Wednesday, Nov. 19 with an exhibition game for the Geoducks at Portland State University. Game time at the Viking Pavilion in Portland, Oregon, is set for 7 p.m. PST.