Sometimes, those five extra minutes of game play can go a mile and a half.

For the men’s basketball team, five minutes of free basketball led to 18 points and a 79-72  win, once tied at 61 with the Kennesaw State Owls (2-18) at the end of regulation.

The now 8-11 Bisons held the Owls to a manageable margin for most of the first half. Both teams went scoreless until junior Khion Sankey put up a big three to open the game at 17:54.  After a few back-and-forth lead swaps, the Bisons finally gained a nine-point lead with five remaining before halftime. The Owls clawed back ever so slightly, but a resounding dunk by freshman Stephen Hurt to send the Bisons to a six-point lead before the break.

The second half, however, was a different story. Kennesaw State came out swinging, cutting the margin to around one or two in the first few minutes. The Bisons and Owls fought for the lead in much of the second half. Four key free throw shots by sophomore Malcom Smith in the last few minutes of play helped send the game into overtime.

In OT, the Bisons never let the Owls regain the lead, hitting important shots and using the clock in their favor. By the time the final buzzer echoed through Allen Arena, the Bisons emerged victorious.

Malcom Smith had a big night for the Bisons with a double-double (21 points, 12 rebounds), while redshirt sophomore Carter Sanderson had a career night with 15 points (9 of those from beyond the arch). Hurt also had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Martin Smith added in 9 points.

Sanderson said he believes that the game featured a strong showing by the Bisons in one half and a lesser showing in the second.

“I thought we came out in the first half and played well,” Sanderson said. “But we just came out in the second half and were very sluggish.”

Sanderson said he was pleased with the way the team responded to adversity at the game’s close by sending it into overtime. In the final five minutes of play, Sanderson said that the team had confidence in the fact that victory was going to be the outcome.

“In overtime, for us, we think it’s just another opportunity,” Sanderson said. “Our mentality in overtime was ‘we’re winning’.”

The Bisons look ahead to this weekend as they host Mercer on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. The game will be available on ESPN3.

Going into Saturday’s game, Sanderson said he hopes the team will be ready to put forth a strong defensive performance against the 12-9 Bears.

“Our biggest thing is going to be defending,” Sanderson said.

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