HIGH POINT, N.C. – Senior Nick Mayo buried a three-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball team to a come-from-behind 70-69 road win over High Point on Saturday afternoon at the Millis Center.
Mayo finished the game with 30 points and 10 rebounds.
EKU (4-4) trailed by as many as 23 points in the first half. A three-pointer by Jahaad Proctor gave High Point a 42-19 advantage with 4:44 to play in the half.
The Colonels, however, ended the stanza on a 12-0 run. A jumper by sophomore Jacquess Hobbs ignited the run and a tip-in at the buzzer by Mayo ended it, sending Eastern into the locker room down by only 11, 42-31.
EKU carried that momentum into the second half. The Colonels opened the half on a 10-2 run and pulled to within three, 44-41, when junior Jordan Oakley converted a layup in transition at the 17:00 mark.
High Point (3-5) desperately kept the surging Colonels at bay over the next 16 minutes.
EKU pulled to within two of the Panthers when freshman Jomaru Brown connected on a three-pointer to make it 56-54 with 8:46 left; however, the Colonels could not seem to get over the hump.
Until the very end, that is. A free throw by Brandonn Kamga handed High Point a four-point lead, 68-64, with 52 seconds to play.
On EKU’s ensuing possession, junior Dujuanta Weaver came off a screen and drained a three-pointer from the top of the key to make it a one-point game with 42 ticks on the clock.
Kamga was fouled with nine seconds left. He made the first free throw to make it 69-67, but missed the second.
Junior Kelvin Robinson then brought the ball up the floor and kicked it to Mayo at the top of the key. Mayo faked the drive and then faded away for the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer.
It was Mayo’s first career buzzer beater, and EKU’s first buzzer beater since Denzel Richardson hit a last-second shot to beat Coppin State in 2014.
EKU’s bench played a huge role in the win. Brown scored 10 points and dished out two assists. Oakley contributed nine points, nine rebounds – six of which were offensive – and three blocks, and Hobbs had eight points, four rebounds, two assists and a team-best three steals.
Eastern won the turnover battle, 17-9, and turned those 17 High Point turnovers into 23 points.
The Colonels return home to host USC Upstate on Wednesday, December 5, at 7:30 p.m.
