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SEATTLE – Chicago State men's basketball moved back over .500 in Western Athletic Conference play on Thursday (Feb. 27) thanks to an 84-77 triple overtime victory at KeyArena over Seattle U.
The win snaps Chicago State's five-game losing streak in overtime games. The victory is also the first multiple-overtime victory in program history as an NCAA Division I member. The Cougars' last triple overtime game came last season, in an 83-78 loss at NJIT on Jan. 12, 2013.
Seattle U scored the first seven points of the game. Chicago State came alive with 13 straight thanks to senior
Matt Ross (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) making three treys in the run. Chicago State took a 31-27 lead to the break but Seattle U opened the second half on a 13-3 run to take their largest lead of the second half at six points. Seattle U held a five-point advantage with three minutes remaining. Six straight points, capped by a senior
Quinton Pippen (Hamburg, Ark./Hamburg)'s corner 3-pointer put the Cougars up by one 53-52 with 1:25 remaining. Isiah Umipig missed a layup with 51 seconds left on the ensuing possession. Junior
Clarke Rosenberg (Skokie, Ill./Evanston Township) drove to the basket on the other end. His layup was no good but freshman
Johnny Griffin (Ford Heights, Ill./Bloom Trail ) came flying in for a put back dunk. Seattle U, down three points, took the ball up the court and asked for time with seven seconds left. The Redhawks got the ball to Umipig, who drained a 3-pointer to send the game to overtime.
The Cougars were lucky to get out of the first overtime session. Seattle U had the ball up 64-62 with under a minute to play. A scramble for a loose ball pushed the ball to the other side of half court. Seattle U big man Clarence Trent was forced to pull up for a deep 3-pointer with 42 seconds remaining. His shot clanked off the rim and the two clubs swarmed for the loose ball. A jump ball was called with the possession arrow in favor of Seattle U. The Redhawks had the ball, up two, with 38 seconds remaining. The Cougars were in a situation where they needed to foul. CSU trapped Umipig near the center line. He tried to get rid of the ball but his pass was intercepted by Griffin. CSU pushed the ball up the court and got an easy basket by Duhon to tie the game at 64. On the other end, the Redhawks moved the ball to Emmanuel Chibuogwu with a few seconds left. He went up for a shot and Griffin, standing perfectly straight with his up in the air, made a clean block on Chibuogwu's attempt.
Seattle U never held a lead in the second overtime. They erased a five-point Chicago State lead to tie the game with 1:05 left on two free throws by Umipig. Neither team could score in the final minute.
The third overtime was all Chicago State. The big shot was Rosenberg's with 2:01 left to put the Cougars up 77-72. A Griffin dunk, following a Seattle U turnover, moved Chicago State's lead to seven points and essentially iced the game.
Five Cougars finished in double-digits. Rosenberg finished with 17 points, six coming in overtime. He was 6-of-21 from the floor, the most shot attempts by a CSU player this year.
Ross also added 17 points with eight rebounds. Junior
Rahjan Muhammad (Bolingbrook, Ill./Neuqua Valley) totaled 15 points. Senior
Nate Duhon (Lansing, Mich./Sexton) added 13 points. Pippen finished with 12 points on four treys.
Umipig led Seattle U with 23 points.
Seattle U falls to 12-14 (4-9 WAC). The Cougars move to 12-16 (7-6 WAC), surpassing last season's overall win total. Chicago State is one of only three WAC Tournament eligible teams above .500 in conference play. The Cougars play their final road WAC game of the season on Saturday (March 1) at Grand Canyon. Tip is set for 7 p.m. MT at Grand Canyon Arena.
