In a showdown between two of the top men's basketball teams in the Freedom Conference – 40 minutes just weren't enough to decide a victor –
Jamie Egan made sure of it.
Egan hit a three-point bucket from right in front of the Cougar's bench to send the game to overtime and MU would build off that momentum, outscoring Delaware Valley 17-8 in overtime to capture a 72-63 victory.
Although Egan sent the game to overtime, it was
Steve Ware who led the Cougars to victory in the final five minutes. The senior forward picked up yet another double-double, posting 27 points, ripping down 12 boards and adding seven blocks.
Joe Busacca added 19 points while
Griffin Sponaugle and Egan rounded out the MU scoring with nine points each.
The Cougars trailed by as many as 13 with 16 minutes left, but chipped away at the lead for the entire second half, eventually bringing the deficit to just one point when Busacca buried a three from the top of the key with 28 seconds left in regulation.
The Cougars couldn't get a bucket to fall and immediately sent Chris Moran to the line. He two key free throws, making it a 55-52 game with just 15 seconds left.
With the shot clock off and the Aggies opting not to foul, the Cougars dribbled around the key looking for an open man. They found him and Egan buried the three with 1.1 seconds left to send the game to overtime.
MU dominated the overtime period, going 5-6 from the field. Ware scored 10 of his 27 points in the final 10 minutes, including a perfect 4-4 mark from the free throw line.
Ware and the Cougars closed the game on an 8-0 run to capture the nine-point victory over Freedom Conference foe, Delaware Valley.
The Cougars finished the game 23-37 from the field while the Aggies were just 23-70. MU also cashed in on 18 of its 25 free throws and finished the game at 42% from beyond the arc.
The Aggies held the lead for nearly 35 minutes in the Cougars' comeback victory.
The victory gives MU the regular season sweep over Delaware Valley. With the win the Cougars improve to 17-5 and 9-2 in the Freedom Conference while the Aggies fall to 13-9 and 8-3 in the Freedom.
MU continues Freedom Conference play Saturday afternoon at King's College at 3:00.
