CAZENOVIA, NY - Sometimes a commendable effort can still leave you just short.
The Crimson Eagles - attempting to dethrone a Cazenovia squad that pounded PBU for a 27 point home loss back in their first match up - came out of the gates in their second meeting determined to send the Wildcats a message early on that Friday's contest wouldn't be the same "walk in the park" as it was back in early December.
In fact, Friday's event ended up being a see-saw battle until late in the final minute when PBU - forced to foul - saw Cazenovia connect on their last six free throw attempts to help keep the Crimson Eagles at arms length in the Wildcats' league leading ninth victory of the season.
The first 12 minutes of the opening period would see neither team go ahead by more than three, with Cazenovia leading just 20-17 with eight minutes remaining. The hosts would build their advantage to as many as seven late in the first half, eventually taking a 43-37 lead into the intermission.
Three early points to begin the second stanza put the Wildcats up by nine, but a seven point spurt capped by a Dan O'Brien triple pulled PBU back within two with 16 minutes to play. The Crimson Eagles would linger around for the net three minutes and were down 54-51 with 12:38 left in the game, but six missed shots and two turnovers over the ensuing two minutes ignited a 10-0 Cazenovia run.
The visitors battled and pulled to within six with five minutes remaining and found by themselves down by an identical margin with 28 seconds left to play after Willie Miller's fourth three of the contest. With the clock working against them and forced to foul, Cazenovia iced the game by connecting on all of their charity tosses in the waning seconds.
Depsite the loss, PBU finally found its rhythm from beyond the arc, shooting 47.4 percent from deep for the game and connecting on nine threes. The Crimson Eagles also managed a season low 13 turnovers, but Cazenovia managed to "one better" the visitors by giving the ball away just nine times for the game.
For the second straight contest Willie Miller topped the 20 point mark as the sophomore guard finished with a career high 22 points on four of seven shooting from beyond the arc. Sophomore forward Tom Arthur dominated inside producing his eighth double-double of the year with 24 points and 14 boards, while senior forward Otis Caston chipped in with seven points and eight boards. Juniors Dan O'Brien and Michael Phillips each connected on two three-pointers, giving the tandem a combined 12 points.
The loss puts PBU's season record at 3-17 (3-9 NEAC) while the Wildcats - who currently sit in second place in the conference - improve to just over .500 with a 12-11 record overall (9-4 NEAC) with the win.
The Crimson Eagles will play in their second to last NEAC game of the year Saturday afternoon by taking on D'Youville College on the road at 3:00 pm.
