LAREDO, Texas – University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Men's Basketball picked up a 79-73 overtime win Saturday at Texas A&M International, its third win in a row.
The Lions were led by the trio of guards Matthew Wilson and Evan Anderson and forward Chris Rollins, who combined for 59 points. Rollins had six of the Lions' 10 points in overtime.
Anderson played all 45 minutes, scoring 20 points to go with four rebounds and five assists. He shot 8-for-9 at the foul line. Wilson also scored 20 points while dishing out six assists, with Rollins recording a double-double of 19 points and 12 boards.
UAFS broke open a 58-58 tie with a 10-4 run in just over two minutes, but the Dustdevils would hit a three with 22 seconds left to tie the game. Wilson had one final look at the buzzer but was unable to get the shot to fall.
In overtime, Rollins scored the first six points of the extra period and the Lions took a 77-69 lead on a jumper by guard Courtney Murrell. A pair of free throws by Anderson grew the lead to nine before the Dustdevils hit a three with 42 seconds remaining for the final margin.
It was only fitting the game went to overtime as it featured 11 lead changes and nine ties over the first 40 minutes.
UAFS shot 50.0 percent for the game and had a 10-2 advantage in fast break points. It also had a 29-18 edge on the boards with 11 offensive rebounds, leading to 15 second chance points. Seven of Rollins' 12 rebounds were of the offensive variety.
The Lions held a 35-28 lead at halftime, but the Dustdevils shot 61.9 percent in the second half to come back to tie the game. Both teams had over 30 free throw attempts, as well.
UAFS has just one game this upcoming week, visiting Oklahoma Christian Thursday at 7:30 p.m.