BALTIMORE, Md. – Every team needs a signature win, and the Moravian College men's basketball team may have gotten that in only the second game of the 2013-14 season.
Junior point guard Izel Dickerson hit a buzzer-beating, half-court three-point field goal to give the Greyhounds (1-1) a 63-61 win over Mt. St. Mary (N.Y.) College on Saturday night in the Johns Hopkins Tournament.
Mt. St. Mary's Joe Henain made a tip-in layup to give his squad a 61-60 lead with only one second remaining in the contest. Moravian head coach Jim Walker called timeout to set up a play.
The play was half-prayer and half-extraordinary skill as the inbound pass found Dickerson, who heaved up the shot from just beyond half court that went through the net and gave the Greyhounds their dramatic first win of the winter season.
"Is it going to hit the ceiling?" thought Walker as Dickerson's shot left his hands. "It was a high-arching rainbow shot, and it was great to see the guys get their first win like that. I thought Izel was able to come back with a great game. Our best days are ahead of us. We have ups and downs, especially in this game, and to see him respond like that was great to see. He had the legs to make that shot after playing 38 minutes. It was a high pass at half court, but he caught it and came up with a quick shot."
Dickerson finished with a team-high 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting, four rebounds and two assists. His game-winning trey was his third made three-point field goal out of five attempts on Saturday, and he was named to the Johns Hopkins All-Tournament Team.
Senior center Blake English turned in his second straight productive game to start the season with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, six boards and three blocks. Senior center Cameron Cullen was a field goal short of a double-double, registering eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Mount St. Mary shot well from the field, as their 46-percent average helped them build a 12-0 lead to open the game, and eventually a 28-22 lead heading into halftime. The Greyhounds got their first points 6:43 into the first half. Walker's club was ready to respond in the second half, however.
The Moravian men used an eight-point run by Dickerson to pull ahead 36-32 with 15 minutes left in the game. The junior points guard nailed two three-pointers, and added a layup to give the Greyhounds' their first lead of the game.
"What was important was to be able to respond to some adversity this early in the season," Walker said. "We were down the whole first half. We started playing well, but even then we went behind. No matter how many times we came back, we were still behind at the very end."
That four-point lead diminished gradually as Mt. St. Mary traded baskets with the Greyhounds, who got a three-pointer by senior guard Kenny Gula (seven points, two rebounds, one assist) and a layup by Cullen to bring the Moravian lead to 41-36, the largest for the Hounds in the contest.
Mt. St. Mary took the lead again with eight minutes remaining, but Gula responded 1:32 later with a bucket and the 50-49 lead.
The Greyhounds were clutch from the free-throw line down the stretch as Dickerson and sophomore swingman Jarrod Dilts each made two freebies for a 54-49 lead with five minutes remaining.
Mt. St. Mary would go on a 7-0 run to take a 56-54 lead, but Dilts stopped the bleeding with a layup to tie the score at 56 apiece with under two minutes remaining.
The final minute was a complete blur. English converted a jump shot to give Moravian a 58-56 lead, which was promptly erased by a Mount St. Mary three-pointer. Down one, Dickerson made a shot with only six seconds left for the 60-59 lead, but Mt. St. Mary only needed three seconds to get the ball down the court and convert a tap-in for the 61-60 lead.
That set up Dickerson's once-in-a-lifetime moment. As the clock ran out, his shot was already in the air and found nothing but net to give the Greyhounds a walk-off 63-61 victory. The celebration was wild, but according to the veteran Moravian head coach, their energies on Saturday were better spent elsewhere.
"What's really good is that we used our energy to get us back in the game," Walker said. "There was so much enthusiasm in the second half, and that's what helped us back in the game. It was a great experience."
Walker also commended the play of junior forward Garrett Kashmer, freshman guard Isaiah Jennings and freshman forward Brandon McGuire. Kashmer came off the bench to score six points and grab five rebounds, while Jennings notched six points, three boards and a steal. McGuire didn't fill out the stat sheet, but Walker says his aggressiveness on both ends of the floor made a big difference on Saturday.
Moravian is set for its home opener on Tuesday, Nov. 19 against rival Muhlenberg at 7 p.m. in Johnston Hall. The Greyhounds are promoting a Blue Out, as all fans are asked to wear blue to the Matte Award game on Tuesday evening.
