HAWKS WIN THRILLER

Wednesday, January 16 -   Wayne Gibson hit a three point shot with :08 left on the clock, to give the men's basketball team a thrilling 77-74 win over Chesapeake.  With the score tied 74-74 and 36 seconds left in the game, the Hawks played for the last shot.  With 22 seconds left CSM got the ball to Gibson out top.  He dribbled away a few more seconds, then penetrated to the center of the court, and pulled up to hit the winning three pointer.  Gibson finished with 27 points for the night, but none were bigger then his last shot. 

   CSM rallied back from a 68-58 second half deposit with under 10 minutes to go.  J'Vaughn Hawkins and Steve Rapp hit back to back 3's to cut the Skipjack's lead to 68-66 with 7:10 left.  Chesapeake clung to a slim lead sown the stretch,  until Hawkins finally tied it with another three with 2:48 left. 

   Neither team scored for almost two minutes, until Benny Batoon was fouled with :57 left.  Batoon missed the front end of the one and one, but got a second chance when one of the Skipjack players was in the lane too soon.  Batoon made the next free throw, but missed the second for a 74-73 lead. 

   Chesapeake then got the ball to their leading scorer Jermaine Saunders, who finished with 29 points, but only 6 of them in the second half.  Saunders was tripled teamed and fouled as he made a move down the baseline.  He made 1 of 2 free throws, to tie the game again at 74-74, setting up Gibson's last minute heroics.

   Chesapeake had one last chance to tie, but a long 3-pt shot by Saunders feel short at the buzzer. 

   The Hawks got revenge for an earlier win this season by the Skipjack's in December, when they beat CSM on a three point shot at the buzzer at Chesapeake. 

   Chesapeake Head Coach John Mappas, who used to coach at CSM and still lives in Southern Maryland said " CSM outplayed and out hustled us tonight.  They deserved to win."

   CSM improves to 9-7 for the year, while Chesapeake falls to 11-5. 

   The Hawks go on a three game road trip, before returning to the Hawk's Nest to face Catonsville on Saturday, January 26 at 6:00 PM.  The women's team will follow with an 8:15 game, also against Catonsville.