Box Score
ABERDEEN, SD – The #22 Mayville State Comets had another NSAA battle ahead of them down in Aberdeen, SD against Presentation College. The Saints last played the Comets back in December and the two teams went to the wire in a close battle. It was another nail-biter towards the end once again for both squads.
Presentation came out strong right away, jumping out to a 17-6 lead and continued the pressure with a big performance from Jalen Johnson, who couldn't seem to miss from behind the arc with an immediate 4-4 effort for threes. After a timeout to get the Comets back on track a bit, MSU came out with a hot stretch, going on a 22-10 point run to close the gap to four, down 44 to 40. PC ended the half with a 10-3 run of their own, the shooting marksmanship continued for the Saints. The Comets went into the break only down by twelve, 55 to 43.
The second half unfolded in a comeback for the Comets and proved to be a test of will down to the wire. Jalen Johnson helped PC go on a run and stretched their lead by as much as 20 with the Saints leading 73 to 53 within the first five minutes of the half. After a timeout, the Comets turned things around and went on a tremendous drive to counter it back.
The Saints extended their lead to 18 when the score hit 80-62, but the Comets were not ready to give up on the night. Some big plays and defensive stops gave the Comets the momentum they needed to go on a 21-5 run, narrowing it down to 85-83 after a
Creighton Pfau three-pointer was drained.
PC ended their low scoring drought and kept the lead, just enough to keep the Comets a possession away. The final minute started with a 3-point play by Alhag to narrow it to 96-93 with 52 ticks to go. After a PC field goal,
Cameron Epps came down to nail a 3 with 24.5 seconds left to play, the Comets only down by two. PC was sent to the free throw line next and took a 100-96 lead with a couple of free throw conversions, only to watch Alhag come down to drain a three with 11.3 remaining.
The Saints hit another two free throws to climb up 102-99, pulling Daymarrco Green and the Comets within one. PC was able to go up and continue to hit their free throws.
Cameron Epps had one more 3-point attempt, but PC escaped with the upset win, 104-101 over the #22 Comets.
Coach Tighe was proud of his team's effort in the tough loss on the road. "Our guys always have a never-say-die attitude and it showed. But you can't get yourself in a 20-point hole like we did. It's hard to win games like that."
Leading all scorers was the Saints' Julius Jackson with 29. For the Comets, they were led by
Gorg Alhag with 26, he went 9-14 from the field and 2-5 from behind the arc.
Eric Staebler had a steady 17 on the night with eight rebounds.
Creighton Pfau had 13 points and led the team with nine rebounds.
Cameron Epps also had 13 points, nine of them from 3-point territory. Three other Comets had nine points each, those being
Daniel Lindgren,
Jack Turnbull and Daymarcoo Green.
Although the Comets had four players in double figures, Presentation also had some key performances on their end, namely from Jalen Johnson, who went 7-8 on three's with 21 points. Deiontay Walters also had a 23-point night, along with Mychal Deas with eleven.
As a team, the Comets had a hard time containing the Saints from long distance, PC hit 18 of 26 from there. In comparison, the Comets shot 11 for 28 on their 3-point efforts. The Comets narrowly won the battle down low for rebounds, 33 to 28.
The #22 Comets (14-6, 7-4 NSAA) will travel to Jamestown, ND to take on the University of Jamestown next Saturday, Feb 3rd for their next action in the North Star Athletic Association conference.
