The 19th-ranked Roadrunners found themselves in an early 9-0 hole Nov. 11 when they opened their Missouri Community College Athletic Conference schedule playing the St. Louis Community College Archers in the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center.
SFCC (0-5, 0-1 MCCAC) fought back from an early deficit to tie the game at 38 going into halftime. The game went back and forth the entire way with 13 ties and eight lead changes. Both teams scored 38 points in the second half, forcing the game into overtime. SFCC had a one-point lead in the waning seconds.
The Archers got fouled on a shot with about 19 seconds remaining in overtime. The shot went in; St. Louis went to the free-throw line to convert the old-fashioned three-point play and took an 88-86 lead. The Roadrunners called time out with 1.3 seconds remaining in the overtime after both teams scrambled for a loose ball. SFCC had the ball on the baseline underneath its basket and the final shot attempt came up short, giving St. Louis the 88-86 victory.
Freshman wing Donnavan Hastings led five Roadrunners in double-figure scoring with 24 points. Freshman guard Ra'Chaun Martin contributed 14 points and dished out a team-leading eight assists. Freshman guard Joshua Bailey scored 13 points. Sophomore guard Dondre Alexander added 11 points and led the team in steals with four. Freshman forward Clint Robinson registered a double double with 11 points and a team-high 13 rebounds. He also tied for the team lead in blocked shots with three along with freshman forward Selvedin Planincic. SFCC struggled from the free-throw line, shooting only 58.1 percent.
"We missed some free throws we needed to make," said Roadrunners Head Coach Kevin Thomas. "We had a chance to go ahead in regulation, but when we missed free throws, it let them back into the game. In overtime we went ahead again, but our inability to get defensive stops on a consistent basis was our downfall."
SFCC will close out its three-game home stand this weekend with a pair of games in the Stone Laser Imaging Classic. The Roadrunners will take on Westminster College junior varsity from Fulton on Friday night and Quakerdale Prep from New Providence, Iowa, on Saturday. Tipoff of both games is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center.
David Rohrbach
SFCC Athletics Department