The Maryville College men’s basketball team earned a tough Great South Athletic Conference win with a 66-63 decision over LaGrange College on Saturday afternoon in MC’s Cooper Athletic Center.
A late driving basket and a free-throw conversion by MC’s Eryk Watson combined with a key steal and game winning free-throws by Donald Rucker pushed the Scots past the Panthers in the final seconds.
Despite only shooting 34 percent from the field and only going 2-for-11 from beyond the arc, Maryville took a 32-28 lead to the half. The Scots forced 13 Panther turnovers and converted the miscues to 10 points to provide a small cushion.
Maryville managed only one eight point lead in the second half, but the persistent Panthers kept coming back and took the lead 63-61 with 33 second remaining. Watson’s slashing bucket after Cory Cheek hit him with his 9th assist of the afternoon allowed Maryville to tie the game at 63-63. Watson was fouled on the play and deposited the go-ahead free throw.
As LaGrange attempted a last second shot, Rucker snatched the ball from Nic Whitfield and was promptly fouled. Rucker’s free throws game Maryville the three point victory.
LaGrange (2-17, 0-3 GSAC) saw Denzel Robinson deposit 17 points on 7-of 15 shooting to pace the Panthers. Nic Whitfield added 14 points and seven rebounds while Marcus Vaughn sank 11 points.
The Scots (13-7, 3-0 GSAC) used the 29 point explosion from Eryk Watson. Ranked in the top ten in the NCAA Division III scoring, Watson was 6-for-13 from beyond the arc and 5-for-6 from the free throw line. Maverick Willett was strong in the post with 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds.  Donald Rucker and Brandon McGill were strong on the boards combining for a dozen rebounds.
Maryville will travel to Dayton, Tennessee next Monday evening for a non-conference challenge against Bryan College. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. and Bryan College will be supplying live video coverage.

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