LYNCHBURG, Va. -- The Lynchburg Hornets men's basketball team suffered an overtime loss on the road to the Roanoke Maroons, 93-88.
Jesse Mitchell paced Lynchburg with 19 points and 11 rebounds, adding three assists in 35 minutes of action. Jamarcus Brown contributed 17 points and seven boards, while Jayson Easton added 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc. Piercen Young (7 points), Michael Gray (9 points), and John Henderson (10 points) also provided key minutes in a tightly contested affair that featured 14 lead changes and eight ties.
After a back-and-forth first half, Roanoke carried a narrow margin into the break and the two sides continued to trade blows throughout the second period. After a scoreless stretch of nearly two minutes late in regulation, the Maroons broke through with a three-pointer to take a one-point lead with 56 seconds remaining.
Following a series of free throws on both ends, Gray pulled up from long range with 10 seconds remaining and banked in a triple to tie the contest and force overtime.
Lynchburg and Roanoke entered overtime for the second time in the last three meetings, marking the fourth consecutive thriller between the two sides. However, in similar fashion to recent matchups, Roanoke's Jackson Bell took control down the stretch.
Bell scored the first nine points of overtime for the Maroons, as Roanoke closed the game on an 11-6 advantage over the final five minutes to secure the victory.
The Hornets look to regroup as they continue their push toward postseason positioning with a Senior Day matchup against Virginia Wesleyan (17-3, 12-3 ODAC) on Saturday, Feb. 21.
Lynchburg now holds the fourth seed in the conference standings. The fifth and sixth spots are held by Washington and Lee (17-7, 9-6 ODAC) and Hampden-Sydney (15-9, 9-6 ODAC). The Generals and Tigers will square off Saturday to close out the regular season and determine seeding.
Because of victories over both teams that share the same ODAC record, Lynchburg controls its own destiny. With a win, the Hornets secure the fourth seed and host the winner of Washington and Lee vs. Hampden-Sydney in the ODAC quarterfinal on Tuesday, Feb. 24. With a loss, Lynchburg would fall to the fifth seed and travel to face the winner of that matchup.
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