OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Tenth-ranked St. Mary's (Md.) outscored No. 18 Middlebury 10-7 in overtime en route to an 81-78 victory at the Hoopsville National Invitational Classic hosted by Stevenson University on Sunday.
The Seahawks (2-1) found themselves down 78-77 with 1:29 remaining in overtime but senior captains Donn Hill and Kyle Wise combined for a 4-for-4 effort at the free-throw line to go up by three with 31 seconds left.
Middlebury junior Hunter Merryman attempted two 3-point shots in the final six seconds but was unable to connect and St. Mary's held on for the win.
Junior captain Nicholas LaGuerre paced the Seahawks with season-bests of 22 points and five rebounds to earn a spot on the all-tournament team while Wise added a career-high 16 points and season-bests of three assists and two boards off the bench.
It was a balanced effort for St. Mary's as Hill and sophomore forward Troy Spurrier also finished in double digits. Hill posted 18 points and Spurrier chipped in a season-high 10 points and career-best six caroms.
Down 39-31 one minute into the second stanza, the Seahawks rolled out an 11-2 run that was punctuated by first-year guard Gavan Scanlan's dunk, returning the lead to St. Mary's for the first time since 4-3 early in the first half.
St. Mary's managed to say one step ahead of the Panthers but never lead by more than four as its biggest lead of 60-56 came at 6:18 on a Hill layup. Senior guard Joey Kizel kept Middlebury on the Seahawks' heels as Kizel scored Middlebury's final 13 points of regulation, including knocking down the game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Middlebury owned a 34-31 advantage at halftime as the Panthers shot nearly 46 percent (5-of-11) from behind the 3-point arc. Hill led all players after the first half with 10 points while senior guard Nate Bulluck paced Middlebury with nine points.
Kizel finished with game-highs of 26 points and six assists while sophomore forward Jake Nidenburg registered 12 points and eight rebounds.
