FREDERICK, Md. - The McDaniel College men's basketball team erased a 16-point deficit midway through the second half, but came up just short in an 81-79 loss to Elizabethtown Friday in the Rotary Club of Frederick Tip-Off Tournament hosted by Hood.
The Green Terror (0-1) erased a 16-point deficit to tie the game at 59-59 with 8:04 left in the second half, but a jumper by the Blue Jays with five seconds remaining put them over the top in the McDaniel debut for first-year head coach
T.J. Jordan.
The Green Terror made 12 three-pointers and finished with 18 assists on 30 field goals, but Elizabethtown held a plus-10 rebounding margin and went 20-for-27 at the free-throw line.
Senior
Bruce Black scored a team-high 22 points, going 8-of-12 from the field with four three-pointers. Senior
Ryan Shaffer finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists while sophomore
Rece Bowser had 11 points, four rebounds, and three steals. Junior
Dallas George had five points and six assists.
Bowser opened the scoring with a three-pointer, but Elizabethtown answered with a tying three and built a 25-9 lead with 8:37 remaining in the first half.
The Green Terror cut into the deficit with three-straight three-pointers from George, Black and junior
Cole Riley to pull the team within 25-18.
Black scored seven-straight points to pull McDaniel within five with 2:51 left, but Elizabethtown scored eight of the final 10 points to take a 39-27 lead at halftime.
The Blue Jays (1-0) led 47-33 with 14:45 to play in the second before the Green Terror hit five three-pointers in under four minutes, including two from Shaffer and one each from first-year
Dominic Downs, junior
Ashenafi Stuart and first-year
Kyle Harvin to get within 55-51. Bowser's layup at 8:04 tied the score at 59-59.
A three-pointer by Black gave the Green Terror a 64-62 lead with 6:43 remaining before he hit another one to give the team a 69-65 lead.
Elizabethtown tied the game at 71-71 and took a 75-72 lead with a three-pointer at 2:29.
Harvin tied the game at 77-77 with a three-point play with 1:06 to play and Black tied it again at 79-79 with a fast-break layup with just 19 seconds left before a jumper by Brandon Ascione with only five seconds remaining gave the Blue Jays the two-point victory.
McDaniel will face Jordan's former team in the consolation game on Saturday when it faces Notre Dame of Maryland at 1 p.m.
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