Box Score
LANGHORNE, PA - Forty minutes of regulation play wasn't enough to settle Saturday's scuffle between Lancaster Bible College and PBU Saturday afternoon. In fact, it took two overtime periods to finally produce a victor.
But when the dust finally did settle, the Crimson Eagles found themselves on the losing end of a 108-96 double-OT thriller to their NCCAA East Region Counterpart.
After building up a 34-24 edge in favor of the Chargers midway through the opening frame, PBU slowly whittled away at the deficit, ending the stanza on a 10-2 burst to take a 47-45 edge into the break.
The Crimson Eagles rode their momentum early into the second period, stretching the margin to as great as nine at 64-55 with 13 minutes to go. LBC fought back, however, bringing the count to within two with eight minutes to play.
With play see-sawing back and forth the remainder of the way, PBU clung to a 78-73 lead with just over two minutes left before an LBC triple coupled with a pair of free throw tosses evened things at 78-apiece.
Luke Nelson's lay-up under the hoop with 22 second left gave the host group an 82-80 edge before Andrew Risser's bucket with four seconds on the clock once again evened the count, forcing the initial extra session.
The first overtime went back-and-forth until a Brett Zamroz jumper in the paint gave the Crimson Eagles a two point cushion with eight seconds left. With LBC scurrying down the floor to for one last look at the bucket, a PBU foul gave Kevin Keltner two free throws which the senior guard calmly converted to help force a second OT.
From there, things quickly unraveled for the Crimson Eagles. Lancaster outscored the host group 14-2 in the final frame, utilizing an eight for 10 effort from the free throw line to help seal the contest.
The win signals the Chargers' fifth straight victory over PBU in the last four years. The Crimson Eagles slip to 0-8 on the year following Saturday's events while Lancaster moves to 4-5.
Rookie forward Jeff Bishop spearheaded PBU's attack by putting up a game high 26 points on eight of nine shooting from the floor to go with 13 boards and four blocks for the evening. Adam Derus poured in a career high 24 points in 47 minutes of work, knocking down five triples in the process. Junior point guard Jeremy Pearson also contributed a career effort, putting up 17 points in 25 minutes of work. Senior guard Brett Zamroz added 16 points, five assists and five boards.
The Crimson Eagles will take an extended break from game action before returning to the floor on January 8th for a non-conference date with Penn State Brandywine on the road. Game time is slated for 3:00 pm.
