Box Score RICHMOND, IND. – Manchester University put two players in double digits to highlight a hard-fought 73-67 overtime loss to Earlham College Saturday, Jan. 5.
The Spartans, dipping to 4-9 overall and 1-5 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, got out of the gates fast, holding as large as a seven-point lead late in the first half. The host Quakers (2-11 overall, 1-5 HCAC) answered behind an 11-4 run over the final 2:38 of the first half and the first 3:05 of the second half.
The second half was back and forth with four lead changes. A late 10-3 stretch for Coach Brad Nadborne's squad seemed to give the Black and Gold an insurmountable advantage (55-48) with 3:10 to play, but Earlham canned three three-pointers down the stretch, including one with two seconds left, to send the game into overtime. The home side's hot shooting from outside the arc continued in the extra session, as they hit two more treys to spark a 13-7 roll for the win.
Senior forward David House (Elkhart, Ind.) registered his second straight double-double and third of the year to pace the Spartans. His 23-point, 12-rebound, two-assist night topped Manchester University in all three statistical categories. Sophomore guard Greg Flores (Hammond, Ind.) ended with 14 points and was a perfect six-for-six at the charity stripe.
Manchester returns to league play with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff at Defiance Wednesday, Jan. 9.
NOTES: House's back-to-back double-doubles moved his points-per-game average up nearly two points (5.9-7.7) and his rebounds-per-game average up one full board (4.5-5.5). … Flores' double-figure effort was his 10th of the season. … MU dropped into a tie with Earlham for eighth place in the HCAC, two games behind a three-way logjam for fifth.
