Box Score
Note: This was the first time the men's and women's basketball team swept a doubleheader since Feb. 21, 2008 when both teams defeated Penn State-Brandywine. It is also the first sweep over a CIAA opponent
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa. — Dante Blanton-Holcombe (Baltimore, MD/Dunbar) (Baltimore, Md./Dunbar) scored seven consecutive points in the final minutes Thursday night to give Lincoln an 81-78 win over Saint Paul's College at Manuel Rivero Hall. The win marked the second straight win for the Lions and served as a definitive confidence booster.
With the win over Bowie State on Tuesday, this is the first two-game winning streak for the men's basketball program since defeating Wilmington University and the University of the Sciences Nov. 19 and 21 of the 2008-09 season.
This was a much needed win for a Lions squad who have had to deal with heartbreak all year, losing five games by five points or less, including three losses in overtime. For Blanton-Holcombe, he took it upon himself to take the big shots.
“Coach called the play, he said 'hit the shot,' and I hit the shot,” the Baltimore native said.
Lincoln was led by Damian Hyman (Bronx, NY/Harry S. Truman)'s (Bronx, N.Y./Harry S. Truman) 20 points and 19 from Blanton-Holcombe.
Saint Paul quickly started off the game with a quick eight points. Eugene Smith (West Palm Beach, Fl/PennWood ) (West Palm Beach, Fla./Penn Wood) put an end to an 8-0 lead by scoring Lincoln's first basket to make it 8-2 with 17:20 on the clock.
Lincoln tried to make a quick comeback with a crowd-pleasing , baseline reverse dunk by Kristin Joyner (Brooklyn, NY/Thomas Jefferson) (Brooklyn, N.Y./Thomas Jefferson) and a quick deuce by Darren Clark (Boston, MA/Largo) (Boston, Mass./Largo, Md) all within one minute. Lincoln took the lead when Damian Hyman (Bronx, NY/Harry S. Truman) shot a three with 14:36 to go in the opening period, leaving the score 12-10.
“We knew we had to step it up,” Smith said of the increased roll of himself and Joyner this year. “It was on us as the guy inside. As a leader, I tell him we're going to see who has more blocks by the end of the year.”
But Saint Paul quickly took the lead back, leaving Lincoln behind 23-18 following a three-point play by Quinton McBeth on a lay-up and free throw.
With 2:51 on the clock Blanton-Holcombe made another crowd pleasing dunk due to a beautiful pass from Darrell Mosley (Chester, PA/Chester ) (Chester, Pa./Chester), followed by a 3-pointer also by Blanton-Holcombe and another by Denzel Mooney (Baltimore, Md./Western School of Technology) (Baltimore, Md./Western Tech.) that tied the game 36-36.
From that point on Lincoln and Saint Paul struggled for the lead, but Lincoln entered the locker rooms for halftime trailing, 40-39.
The second half was a back and forth contest. The biggest deficit in fact was a 55-51 lead for St. Paul's. With 1:14 remaining, Smith made a huge block that allowed Blanton-Holcombe to fly in for an easy lay-up to pull Lincoln within two at 78-76.
Blanton-Holcombe would come up huge once more with a three pointer from NBA range to give Lincoln the edge at 79-78. On the ensuing possession, St. Paul's could not convert on the offensive end. Once again, Blanton-Holcombe rose to the challenge, driving for an acrobatic lay-up. This left nine seconds on the shot clock for The Tigers. George Leseur drove baseline but got caught under the basket, leaving St. Paul's with a desperation shot from beyond the arc that gave Lincoln their second straight win.
With two straight emotional wins, this Lions squad hopes to end the year off with another, especially for the seniors.
“Me as a senior, I'm happy that we are winning,” said Blanton-Holcombe, a fifth-year senior. “It is good for our team morale. I'm going to cry. I have been here for five years. I have to go out with a bang.
Team leaders for St. Paul's were Maurice Reevy with 16 points and Ibn-Saeed Rasoull with 12.
Lincoln returns to the court tomorrow night, which will prove to be emotional, as it will be senior night. Five seniors will be honored prior to the game. Fans can catch all the action on BrandywineRadio.com.
