Box Score
Trojans fall in marathon at FIU, 118-114
Jan. 30, 2005
Box
score
MIAMI -- Brandon Freeman scored a career-high 38
points, Zack Graber played 65 minutes and UALR recorded the longest game
in its history, but it was all for naught as the Trojans lost to Florida
International, 118-114, in five overtimes Sunday afternoon at Pharmed
Arena.
The loss moves UALR to 12-8 on the year and 4-4 in
Sun Belt Conference play. FIU improves to 8-12 and 1-6.
Richard Hardman scored 20 for the Trojans, Darius
Eason hit for 13 and Zack Wright came off the bench to score 12. Graber,
who played every minute of regulation and all five of the 5-minute
overtime periods, scored six points and handed out a career-high 13
assists.
UALR led by as many as 11 in the first half, and
held a 37-29 lead going into halftime. The Trojans were up by 14 twice in
the second period, the final time coming on a three-pointer by Freeman
that put UALR ahead 63-49 with 10:52 remaining in regulation.
Florida International then went on a 14-1 run --
spurred by a three-pointer and three free throws by Junior Matias -- to
cut the lead to one, 64-63, with 7:18 to play. Ismael N'Diaye hit two free
throws to give FIU a 65-64 lead with 6:22 to play, and a dunk from Ivan
Almonte put the Golden Panthers up by three, 67-64, 50 seconds later.
A jumper by Freeman cut the lead to one before Byron
Burnett and Matias both got free for layups to give FIU a 71-66 advantage
with 4:21 remaining.
Hardman hit jumpers on consecutive trips down the
floor to cut FIU's lead back to onee, 71-70 before Burnett made another
layup with 36 seconds left. Freeman converted a three-point play with 23
seconds remaining to tie the game at 73-73, and Matias missed a jumper
with one second left to send the game into overtime.
Both teams scored 12 in the first overtime period,
five in the second, seven in the third, and six in the fourth. FIU's
Almonte banked a three-point jumper off the glass as he was falling out of
bounds at the end of the first OT period to tie the game at 85-85, and he
missed a jumper at the buzzer at the end of the second OT that would have
won the game.
With two seconds left in the fourth overtime period,
Freeman hit a long jumper that was nearly a trey, but his foot just nudged
the three-point line and the officials ruled the basket a two-pointer,
which tied the game at 103-103.
UALR never led in the fifth overtime, and FIU didn't
make a field goal in the final period. The Golden Panthers did, however,
hit 15-of-23 free throw attempts in the period and outscored UALR 15-11.
FIU hit seven free shots and was up 110-103 before Graber was fouled and
made both free throw attempts with 2:07 left to play. After two more FIU
free throws, Jarryd Knight made one from the stripe to pull the Trojans to
within six, 112-106.
Antonio Jones put the Golden Panthers back up by
eight, 114-106, when he was good on both of his attempts from the line
with 29 seconds to play. Freeman nailed a jumper nine second later to get
UALR to within 114-108, and a three-pointer by Knight got the Trojans to
within three, 114-11. FIU's Jones hit a pair from the line with seven
seconds left for a 116-111 lead, and Knight answered with another trey,
cutting the lead to 116-114 with seven seconds left. Matias nailed two
more free throws with two seconds left for the final points of the game.
On the night, FIU made 37-of-58 of its free throw
attempts, both obviously season highs by a UALR opponent. The Golden
Panthers were 26-of-44 from the line in the five OT periods combined. UALR
hit 25 of its 39 free shot attempts.
The Trojans will now travel to Mobile, Ala., to play
at South Alabama on Thursday before returning to Alltel Arena on Saturday
to host New Orleans at 6 p.m. In the only doubleheader of the season, the
UALR women's team will play South Alabama at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
