The Kentucky Wesleyan men’s basketball team took a one-point lead with eight ticks left on the clock, but Walsh University sunk a contested baseline jumper at the other end with one second to play.
Mohamed Abu Arisha’s final desperation shot didn’t fall, and the Panthers (3-5, 2-2 G-MAC) fell 61-60 at home to the Cavaliers (8-4, 4-1) on Thursday night.
Abu Arisha led the effort in keeping the contest close, as he finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds. He scored eight of the last nine points for Wesleyan, helping maintain a narrow lead until the final score.
Abu Arisha’s most dangerous move came in backing his man down low, then knocking down a mid-range fadeaway. Head coach Drew Cooper said that’s the style of play he needs from Abu Arisha.
“We changed his whole game,” Cooper said. “What you saw out of him tonight, that’s our only chance of becoming somewhat of a dangerous team. If he had his preference, he’d be a perimeter player, but we prefer him not to. Good, bad or indifferent, that’s how he’s got to play.”
The Cavaliers trailed by as many as 10 points before a barrage of 3-pointers vaulted them to a 40-38 lead before the midway point of the second half. They largely stayed in front until the late run by the Panthers, but Walsh used the long ball again to catch up.
One 3-pointer put them ahead with two minutes to go and another tied it up with 38 seconds to play. Deng Mayot hit one of two free throws with eight seconds to go, and Walsh won it on the ensuing possession.
“I thought we played well,” Cooper said. “I like that we fought back. A couple weeks ago, I’m not so sure that we don’t lose that game by 12 or 13. I think we hit back and seesawed the game back in our favor and had a chance to win.”
Cooper said he’s happy the Panthers hung with one of the top teams in the conference, but he’s already thinking about what a win could have meant for the postseason.
“In the conference mix, you just don’t know how that game is going to affect you in March when the pairings come out,” he said. “That’s all I’m thinking about right now is I wish that shot would have missed.”
While it’s easy to look at the final score as the determining factor, Cooper said there were plenty of other plays that could have made a difference. Rather than focus on the final second, he said the Panthers will focus on the first 39:59 when watching film and working on getting better.
“It’s easy to talk about the last shot, but I think there were some plays down the stretch that could have skewed a little bit better,” Cooper said. “That’s the type of stuff we’ll go back and look at.”
Stats: Mohamed Abu Arisha (20 points, 12 rebounds), Adam Goetz (19 points), Zach Hopewell (8 points, 7 rebounds), Erik Bell (7 points, 7 assists), Deng Mayot (6 points, 4 rebounds)
