The Spring Hill College men’s basketball team defeated conference foe Central State 91-83 in double overtime in its regular season finale at Beacom/Lewis Gym on Monday night.

Timothy Reilly led the game with a staggering 20 rebounds, the second most in a single game in the program’s Division II era. The rebound performance, combined with his team-leading 24 points highlighted the junior’s third double-double of the season. He narrowly missed a triple-double with eight blocks on the night.

The Badgers blazed ahead with a 25-8 run through the first 10 minutes of play. Despite the Marauders closing the gap, Spring Hill led 39-31 at halftime.

SHC held its lead throughout the entirety of the second half, until CSU tied the game at 76-76 with four second left and sent the game into overtime. Again, the Badgers led for a majority of the overtime period, but the Marauders snuck up again and took an 81-80 lead with a dunk in the final second of play.

A technical foul on the Central State bench gave Spring Hill a chance to tie the game with a single free throw, which Isaiah Veal hit to send the game into a second overtime period. A pair of good free throws from Bo Barber iced the game and secured the 91-83 regular season finale victory for SHC.

The team’s 14 wins during the regular season and 3^rd place finish in the conference standings are the best in the program’s Division II era.

Game Details
Date: Feb. 26
Time: 7:30 p.m. (EST)
Venue (Location): Beacom/Lewis Gym (Wilberforce, Ohio)

Results
Spring Hill 91, Central State 83 (2OT)
Records: Spring Hill (14-12, 11-9 SIAC), Central State (3-24, 2-15 SIAC)

They Said It
Head Coach Craig Kennedy
On the game
“Well, wasn’t that an adventure! Willie Jackson was not going to go down without a fight on his Senior Night. That kid is so tough and every time we got going, he nailed one for them. Timothy Reilly just about gets a triple double with 24 points 20 rebounds and 8 blocks, establishing himself as one of the best bigs in the conference. Steven Lyles came off the bench and had a Steven-like night leading with his effort and intensity and Isaiah Veal was not going to be denied coming up with a monster blocked shot with under 30 seconds to go, but it was Bo Barber who iced two free throws to add to our victory. We have struggled with free throws this year, but tonight our grit and mental toughness came through as the guys went 5-5 from the free throw line in OT. There was nothing free about them – we earned each one. This 3^rd place finish is the best in NCAA history for us. On to Savannah and the conference tournament!

Up Next
The Badgers begin their postseason run at the 2024 Cricket Basketball Championship presented by Cricket on Wednesday.

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