The Maryville College men’s basketball team needed a strong second half comeback and a last second three-pointer by Eryk Watson to force overtime, but the LaGrange College Panthers earned their first ever victory over the Scots 79-75 to advance to the finals of the 2011 Great South Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament.
The inside game of Nic Whitfield and Stephen Spivey helped LaGrange shoot 54 percent in the first half.  The Panthers pulled away 37-32 at the half by out hustling MC on the boards by a 22-13 margin.
LaGrange extended their lead to 12 points (51-39) at the 9:34 mark. Maryville used a trio of Dustin Brown key baskets to pull within six points on three different occasions, but Watson’s long trey with three seconds in regulation sent the game into overtime.
A Milton Stanley steal and basket gave MC their first lead since the beginning of the game. MC held the lead (75-74) with a minute remaining in the extra period following a Donald Rucker free-throw. LaGrange’s Marcus Vaughn connected on a layup and a steal and pair of free throws by Britt Gaylor gave the Panthers the chance to advance to the GSAC title game on Saturday.
LaGrange (5-21) had five players post double digits in scoring. Nic Whitfield finished with 17 points. Blake Craft, Denzel Robinson, and Marcus Vaughn each added 14 points while Stephen Spivey tallied a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Maryville (16-10) saw Eryk Watson close out his collegiate career as MC’s No.2 all-time scorer. The senior deposited 32 points on 11-of-21 shooting while sinking five shots from beyond the arc. Milton Stanley and Dustin Brown each added 10 points for the Scots.

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