Basketball and overtime at Livingston College are beginning to become synonymous.
Against Claflin in Salisbury on Saturday afternoon, Livingston faced extra time for the third time in their last four games. The positives came out as they defeated the Visitors 96-95 in a game at New Trent Gymnasium.
Kyrie Temple clutched and hit the bucket in the final minutes of the match to give his team a one-point lead with less than two seconds remaining. Temple ended the game with a block on a Jaylen Williams layup attempt that would have changed the outcome of the game when the buzzer sounded.
It was a grand closing to the game for Livingston’s team, who mourn the untimely death of guard Eric Henderson, who lost his life in a car accident over the Christmas holidays.
LC are 2-1 in extra time this season, both at home.
Williams finished with a game-high 25 points with 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals, with Claflin appearing at the short end of the stick. Allen Hatchett and Timothy McElroy both had big attacking nights for Claflin, scoring 22 and 21 points respectively. McElroy added his 12 rebounds, including his eight on his end offensively. Five Claflin players scored him in double figures, but it wasn’t enough.
After starting the season 9-0, Claflin is 3-3 in their final six games.
Livingstone had 17 points from Pharaoh Lassiter and Detion Leach had 15 points and 12 rebounds. The LC, averaging 86.1 points per game, shot 48.6 percent from the field and just under 42 percent from the field, improving to 8-7 on the season and 4-2 in CIAA play. Saturday’s win put the LC up 2-0 against two CIAA teams, Virginia Union and Claflin College, which were nationally ranked in December.
LC will play Fayetteville State in Salisbury on Wednesday. Claflin travels to Winston-Salem on Wednesday.
