Grizzlies ride Heinbaugh, Hampton to double-OT rivalry win
Charles, Jr. 's clutch trey lifts ASC past WSC
GUNNISON, Colo.— Redshirt freshman Seth Heinbaugh (Prescott, Ariz.) recorded 18 points and 13 rebounds, good for his second double-double in three games, while senior power forward Rece Hampton (Greenwood, Miss.) registered a team-high 21 points before fouling out in extra time as the Adams State College Grizzlies took a key 88-82 double-overtime win at arch-rival Western State, Thursday night in the Mountaineers’ Paul Wright Gymnasium.
“That’s what a rivalry game should be,” said ASC first-year coach Mark Murdock following the game.
“Neither team quit. Neither team gave an inch,” he commented about the game that saw 20 lead changes and 17 ties.
Neither team led by more than one possession of the final 10 minutes of regulation and throughout the first overtime that the Mountaineers ended well to send it to a second.
Senior guard Larry Charles, Jr. (Tucson, Ariz.) then broke an 82-82 tie as he hit the biggest shot of the night, a 3-pointer with 44 seconds left in the second extra frame. Sean Amos (Philadelphia, Pa.) then hit 3 of 4 free throw attempts in the final minute to seal the win.
“Our big guys played so well. It’s really starting to click inside for us,” Murdock said.
Heinbaugh, who had a career-high 23 points in a Tuesday night win over Colorado State-Pueblo, played for 45 minutes as the Grizzlies played their fourth game in seven days, a span that saw ASC go 3-1.
“Tonight was physical, fun and completely exhausting,” Heinbaugh said. “This is what a rivalry game is all about.”
The victory, aided by a 51.9-percent (27-52) shooting effort the field and 31 successful free throw attempts, allowed the Grizzlies to sweep the season series for the second time in three years.
A total of 53 fouls were called as ASC went to the charity stripe 43 times. The Mountaineers, who worked the perimeter game for 23 3-point attempts, went 35 times, making 25, good for a 71.4 percent success rate.
The two teams combined for 54 fouls and 74 free throw attempts on Jan. 26 in ASC’s Plachy Hall, when the Grizzlies recorded an 80-64 win in The Den.
On Thursday, the Mountaineers received 31 points from Jeremy Brooks, who was 18-for-23 from the line and 6-for-13 from the field.
The Mountaineers led by as many as 10 points with seven minutes left in the first period before a spurt of free throws and a Marcus Mortensen (Cortez, Colo.) trey cut the deficit to just two.
Trailing 29-28 at halftime, the Grizzlies took their first lead of the second half at the 17:39 mark on a Hampton bucket before an Amos layup with 11:50 left in regulation gave the Grizzlies a 4-point lead.
The game would be agonizingly tight the rest of the way as a Steven Hudson 3-ball just eight seconds later made it a 44-43 ball game.
Later in regulation, Heinbaugh completed a 3-point play with 2:28 left as the Grizzlies switched a 58-56 deficit to a 61-58 lead thanks to five straight points from the Bradshaw Mountain High School product.
The Mountaineers then scored four straight points to take the lead before a Hampton bucket and Mortensen free throw gave the Grizzlies a 64-62 led that was erased with two Brooks free throws with 14 seconds left.
The game was tied four times in the first overtime period before a Carleton Goggins basked gave the Mountaineers a 72-71 lead in the final minute.
Amos, who finished with 10 points, all but two of which came from the line then tied the game as he hit the first of two free throw attempts. Charles, Jr. then grabbed the rebound on the second before being fouled and hitting two free throws of his own to give the Grizzlies a 74-72 lead.
However, the Mountaineers raced down the floor and tied the game at 74 on a Brooks layup.
ASC scored the first four points of the second overtime before Brooks hit four straight free throws as both Hampton and Travis Carr (Canon City, Colo.) fouled out.
The teams were also tied at 80 and 82 before Charles, Jr.’s clutch 3-pointer gave the Grizzlies the lead for good.
The Grizzlies are now a perfect 4-0 in overtime games this year and have won seven straight dating back to the 2005-06 season. They have won here on WSC’s home floor in each of the past three seasons and have played an overtime game with the Mountaineers in three of their last four.
The victory allowed the Grizzlies to match their 2006-07 win total as they improved to 16-7 overall and to 10-5 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play. Just one win away from matching a NCAA Division II era (1992-93/Present) school record for wins, the Grizzlies moved to within 2 ˝ games of West Division leading Fort Lewis, which saw a 13-game winning streak snapped with a 70-66 lThursday night loss at Western New Mexico.
The Mountaineers, coached by former ASC assistant Mike Moskowitz and former Grizzly great Daniel Trujillo, lost for the fifth straight time falling to 7-15 overall and to 5-9 in the RMAC.
The Grizzlies now have a whole week off before facing Fort Lewis on Feb. 15 in Durango.
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