RICHMOND, Ind. – The Spartans didn't get rattled when Earlham built up a double-digit advantage in the first half, nor when the Quakers answered countless Spartan runs in the second half. Manchester hung around long and withstood a late Earlham push that forced overtime to knock off the host Quakers, 68-64, on Saturday January 11.

Earlham came out hot to start Saturday's contest and led Manchester 20-9 through seven minutes of action. The Spartans answered the Quakers' initial surge and closed the gap at halftime, trailing 33-29.

Earlham opened the half with another surge to push its advantage back up to seven points with 15 minutes left in the ballgame.

With 7 minutes remaining and trailing by just five, the Spartans began their comeback push. Keiton Hall (Lansing, Mich./Williamston) and Matthew Westman (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) both nailed three-pointers to give MU a one-point advantage. After Earlham responded with a triple of their own, Hall answered right back with another 3-pointer to regain the lead.

The Spartans led by five points with a minute to play in regulation. The Quakers converted some key possessions late to force overtime.

MU never trailed in overtime and led by as much as six points. Keiton Hall buried a dagger 3-pointer with 59 seconds left to seal the victory.

Matthew Westman tallied a team-high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting off the bench. Hall buried five 3-pointers and finished Saturday's game with 15 points and five boards.

Cortiz Buckner (Lafayette, Ind./Lafayette Jefferson) filled the stat sheet with 11 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds. Abdul Ogunnaike (Richton Park, Ill./Thornwood) grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.

The Spartans finished 25-of-55 from the field as a team, good enough for a 45.5 percent clip. MU also outrebounded Earlham 40-34. The Quakers were limited to 20-of-57 (35.1 percent) shooting for the game despite their hot start.

Manchester improved to 5-8, 3-3 HCAC on the year. Earlham dropped its second straight overtime decision this week and fell to 5-8, 1-5 HCAC. Manchester will travel to Defiance College for a 7:30 p.m. meeting with the Yellow Jackets on Wednesday January 15.