Eagles outlast Lions in 2OT to advance to ECAC Championship
HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The semifinal round of the 2023-24 ECAC Division III Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament wrapped up on Sunday afternoon, with top seed Juniata surviving a double overtime scare from #5 Penn State Behrend. The Eagles got a monster night from big man Chase Husted en route to a 93-86 victory.
Husted poured in 15 points in the first half, but six threes helped the Lions carry a slight 30-29 edge at the intermission. Penn State Behrend began the second half on a 16-8 run to push the lead to as many as 11 early in the second half, but the Eagles refused to quietly on their home court.
Juniata kept chipping away until the final possession of regulation, when the Eagles found themselves down three with only two seconds left on the clock. Husted found Tyler Lapetina on the in-bound pass, and Lapetina knocked down the biggest triple of the weekend to send the game to overtime.
The first overtime period went back-and-forth, with the two teams exchanging scoring opportunities the entire way. With the game tied at 76 on the final possession, Juniata managed to get a jumper off in time, but the shot was off the mark, sending the game to a second overtime.
The Lions missed their first two attempts, and Juniata turned them into three points at the other end. Matt Niland got them all back for Penn State Behrend with a three, but Lapetina again came up big, answering with a three-ball of his own on the ensuing possession.
Niland came up with another clutch three, once again pulling the Lions even with 2:37 left on the clock. From there, the Eagles scored nine of the remaining 13 points, holding on to advance to next weekend’s championship game.
Husted finished his afternoon with 37 points on an 11-of-15 shooting effort from the floor, and he added a game-high 14 rebounds to round out his 12th double-double of the year. Lapetina followed with 22 points of his own, while Mason Hardy and Gabe Guidinger gave Juniata four starters in double-figures.
For the Lions, Tommy DiRienzo came up with another big performance, racking up 30 points and 12 rebounds to highlight the effort. Juniata won the turnover battle 15-11, while Penn State Behrend outrebounded their hosts 45-44.
The ECAC Championship will take place next weekend and will feature the top two seeds in this year’s tournament. Stay tuned to ECACSports.com for more details.