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The Rice Raiders welcomed the Yoakum Bulldogs to their home court on Wednesday, Jan. 17, and defeated them 55-52 in overtime.
With 1.9 seconds left on the clock down 45-48, Robert Bennett passed the ball to D’Neriyan Fuller who shot a three-pointer as a hush came over the crowd. Shortly after the ball hit the bottom of the net and the crowd erupted.
Fuller tied the game at 48 and with that took all the momentum for the game.
Heading into overtime the Bulldogs scored the opening bucket which grew a light but reserved reaction from their fans in attendance. This was followed up by the Raiders pouring on points and controlling the pace of play.
The Bulldogs were forced to foul the Raiders to ensure extra possessions, but the Raiders dominated the freethrow line and closed out the game because of it. Bennett remained a factor down the stretch on both ends of the floor and it was a defensive play by him that shifted the tides.
Late in the fourth quarter the Bulldogs found themselves on a fast break and a bucket would have been back breaking to the Raiders. Bennett had other ideas and chased down the lead man on the fast break.
Bennett was left flying in the air after biting on a fake shot but stayed calm and focused on the ball. On his way down he slapped the ball out of the Bulldogs player’s hands and sent his team running the other way on a fast break.
The Bulldogs lead for the entire game and kept the high-flying athletic Raiders in check but that play sparked something for the Raiders and began to counterattack. The Bulldogs were caught on their heels by this, and the Raiders started to showcase their athleticism to close out the game.
Once the final buzzer sounded Ta’Marion Turner sprinted to Fuller and embraced him with a bear hug where he was soon joined by his teammates to celebrate their victory as a team.
The Raiders unfortunately lost their next game again, going to overtime to the Columbus Cardinals but now look ahead to their next game against Hallettsville on Tuesday, Jan. 23, on their home court.
