University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Men’s Basketball Head Coach Jim Boone earned his 600th career victory Monday as the Lions came from behind to take down Texas A&M International, 71-67, in double overtime at Gayle Kaundart Arena at the Stubblefield Center.
The Lions trailed by as many as 15 in the second half and were down 50-39 with 5:03 remaining. They then went on an 11-0 run to tie the game at 50-50 with 1:49 left.
After swapping baskets the next two possessions, TAMIU took a 54-52 lead with a pair of free throws. With less than 20 seconds left, forward David Ekezie forced a turnover from a full court press and found guard Cameron Bush for a game-tying layup. A defensive stand sent the game to overtime.
UAFS scored the first five points of the overtime period, but the Dustdevils found a way to tie the game on a three with 12 seconds left to force double overtime.
This time, the Dustdevils went out in front after a 6-0 run following a basket by Bush. Guard Daryl McElrath then stepped up to bank in a three to cut the lead to one and followed it up with the game-winning layup with 1:11 left. The Lions then forced a turnover before guard Evan Anderson put the game away on a corner three on an assist from Bush.
The Lions bounced back from another slow start, shooting 51.7 percent in the second half after shooting just 22.2 percent in the first 20 minutes.
Bush led all scorers with 22 points while adding six rebounds, three assists and four steals. Bush finished 9-for-16 from the field. Guard Payton Brown chipped win with 17 points, while McElrath tallied 11 points and six rebounds off the bench. Anderson contributed nine points, five rebounds and two assists.
The Lions protected the ball by turning it over just nine times while forcing 17 TAMIU turnovers, leading to a 14-2 advantage in fast break points. The Lions did a lot of their scoring inside, as well, scoring 36 points in the paint.
