FRANKFORT, Ky. – Central State guard Masceo Harmon’s contested layup circled the rim but didn’t fall as time expired and the Kentucky State picked up a much needed, 75-73, win over the Marauders on Monday night at the Exum Center.
The victory was set up by a pair of clutch free-throws from Kentucky State forward Darrien Wilkins. With just four seconds remaining in the game and the teams tied at 73-73, Wilkins was fouled by CSU’s Raheem Lemons who fouled out of the game. Wilkins calmly stepped to the line and sunk both to put KSU up by two.
On the other end, as CSU raced up the floor, Kentucky State guard Quentin Henderson was called for a foul that sent Harmon to the line.
A raucous Kentucky State crowd turned up the noise and Harmon missed both free throws but the Marauders kept possession after KSU was the last to touch the ball in the scramble for the rebound. When Harmon missed his layup attempt on the final possession of the game, both the team and the crowd at the Exum Center celebrated.
The win moves Kentucky State, which had lost the previous three meeting against the Marauders, to 5-11 overall. Central State drops their second straight game and now sits at 12-8 overall.
Kentucky State shot 43 percent from the floor as a team and Central State hit 38 percent of their attempts. Both teams connected on 12 attempts from 3-point range, shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc on Monday.
For the second game in a row, starting center Markus Montague led the Thorobreds with a team-high 14 points. Montague, who went 8-for-10 from the free-throw line, also had five rebounds and a pair of blocks in 26 minutes on the floor. Wilkin’s game-winning free-throws capped a 12 point, 12 rebound double-double performance for the senior.
Ulysses Thomas III and Tryston Ford both finished with 10 points. Point guard Dorian Jordan played extended minutes off the bench and was effective on both end of the floor. Jordan went 5-of-5 from the charity stripe to finish with seven points. He also had a game-high five assists and three steals.
Central State’s Tre’ Edwards finished with a game-high 19 points after going 6-of-14 from the floor. Harmon finished with 18 points on 17 attempts. Forward Hosie Smith Jr. picked up a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
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