Notre Dame of Maryland held off a furious rally from Wilson College to earn a dramatic 99–97 United East victory Wednesday evening at Gator Court. The Gators remain in the top four in the conference standings with the win at the halfway mark of conference games.
The Gators (12-8, 5-1 United East) leaned on a dominant all-around effort from Marlon Lewis, but it was their late-game execution that ultimately proved decisive in a contest that featured eight ties and nine lead changes.
Notre Dame entered the final five minutes clinging to an 88–82 advantage after Lewis converted a powerful dunk in the lane. Wilson refused to go away, answering with baskets on consecutive possessions to trim the margin to four. Armani Jones then scored inside and knocked down a free throw to pull the Phoenix within 90–88 with just over four minutes remaining, setting the stage for a tense finish.
Lewis responded again for the Gators, scoring in transition to push the lead back to four, but Wilson countered at the free-throw line to keep it a one-possession game. With 2:24 remaining, Jones converted another layup to make it 92–90, but Notre Dame answered immediately as Lewis finished through contact on the other end to restore a two-score cushion.
Down the stretch, free throws loomed large. Jackson Pugh hit one of two from the line with 1:33 left, extending Notre Dame's lead to 95–90. After a defensive stop, the Gators added another free throw to go up 96–91 with just over a minute remaining.
Wilson continued to apply pressure, but Notre Dame made just enough plays to stay in front. With 42 seconds left, Jones drilled a clutch three-pointer to bring Wilson within two, 96–94, igniting the visiting bench. Out of a timeout, Lewis once again delivered, finishing a layup in traffic with 10 seconds remaining to give the Gators a four-point cushion.
Wilson still had one last push. Winston Raford buried a fast-break three with four seconds left to cut the margin to 99–97, but Notre Dame forced a turnover on the ensuing possession and defended the final shot attempt to seal the win.
Lewis delivered a dominant performance for Notre Dame, pouring in a game-high 33 points on 14-of-21 shooting while pulling down a team-best 15 rebounds along with a couple of blocks. His presence in the paint anchored the Gators all night as they shot an efficient 58.1 percent from the floor.
Carlos Green provided a spark off the bench, finishing with 19 points on 4-of-7 shooting from three-point range, while Jackson Pugh added 14 points and three assists. Ricardo Ross chipped in 12 points, knocking down four three-pointers, and Anthony Wright recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Wilson (5-13, 1-5 United East) led 52–49 at halftime behind strong perimeter shooting, but Notre Dame answered in the second half, scoring 50 points and leaning on its interior attack and depth. The Gators outscored Wilson in the paint 46–46 but made the difference at the free-throw line late, converting key attempts to maintain a slim edge.
The Gators will look to build on the dramatic victory as conference play continues on Saturday, January 24 when they travel to Keystone College for a 1 PM tip-off. Keystone currently sits mid-table with a 2-5 conference record and are 4-14 overall with conference wins against Gallaudet and Valley Forge. The Gators are 1-3 all-time against Keystone having split a pair of regular season games last season.
