HARTSVILLE, SC – In a game of three-point shooting Coker held a slight edge and pulled out an 89-85 overtime victory over Erskine Monday night in men’s collegiate basketball.  The Cobras (6-13, 4-8) had lost two of their last three games in OT and were 0-3 on the season in extra time before salting away a much deserved victory at the foul line against the Flying Fleet (7-12, 4-8).  

An entertaining first half ended in EC’s favor when Craig Williams hit a layup with a minute to play to give the visitors a 35-33 lead.  Erskine shot a blistering 63 percent from three-point range in the first period but Coker countered by hitting 53 percent themselves.

The lead changed four times in the second period with Erskine re-taking advantage with just under eight minutes remaining.  The lead stretched to seven points on a three-point play from Reed Long with 3:52 on the clock but the Cobras kept their cool and worked their way back.  Ryan Queen/Philadelphia, PA hit a pair of free-throws and Jamie Jenkins/Columbia, SC cut it two 71-69 with a three pointer following a stop on defense. 

Long made it a four point margin again with a turn-around jumper in the lane and CC came up empty on their next possession.  Queen came through, however, and earned an offensive foul to get the ball back.  Following a Coker timeout, Queen drove to the lane and kicked it out to junior Mark Duncan/Graham, TX, who buried a three to get the Cobras within one point with a minute to play.

In a chaotic last minute Coker made two key defensive stops and the last one led to a fast break situation as the clock ticked under 10 seconds.  Queen drove in the lane again tossed a runner at the rim but was fouled on the play.  The senior point guard finished shooting 11-12 from the foul line but the one shot he missed forced the game into overtime.  After his first attempt went to the right he calmly sunk the second shot for a 73-73 tie.

The two teams traded empty possessions for the first minute of overtime but junior Jason Fulwood/Cumming, GA gave CC the lead for good with a three-pointer off a Queen assist.  Another three-point play from Long brought Erskine back within one point with just over a minute to play, but Duncan answered with a jumper to make it 83-80. 

T.J. Taylor drove for a quick layup to make it 83-82 and Erskine immediately fouled Queen in the backcourt.  Queen would not be flustered again, however, and he hit four free-throws in the last 30 seconds to help seal the win.  Matt Odom hit a three-pointer with five seconds left but Fulwood’s drained two more foul shots and finally put the game away.

Queen had an outstanding game with 21 points and six assists against only one turnover.  Fulwood tallied 20 points on 6-9 shooting from beyond the arc, and Duncan added 19 points and four rebounds in 23 minutes of action.  Senior Jenkins had a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds and also did a good job guarding EC’s Long, who is fifth in the CVAC in scoring.

Long finished with 21 points on 8-17 shooting and sat for only 17 seconds of the ball game.  Taylor led all scorers with 22 points and Williams finished with 17 points and nine boards.  Matt Odom scored 15 points, all coming on three-point shots.

At the end of the contest, both teams had shot an impressive 48 percent from the field.  EC made 14-26 three-point attempts and the Cobras made 20-36 from outside.  Coker owned a 39-31 advantage on the boards and made 15-18 free-throw attempts for the night.

The Cobras return to the road on Thursday night, February 10, for a 7:30 tip-off against league-leading Mt. Olive.