Robbie Heatherington (McKeesport, PA/ Serra Catholic) hit a 30 foot three point shot with just under a minute left to all but end Fisher's hopes of its first American Mideast Conference win and its first victory over a team receiving national votes.
The game started out at a blistering pace as each team was willing to push the tempo to create offensive opportunities. Point Park scored the game's first points with a layup for Dante Anglin (North Hills, PA/ North Hills) right off the tip off but Fisher answered back when junior Ryan McCorkle (Bellevue, WA/ Shorline CC) put Fisher up by one after hitting his first of two three pointers on the night.
Point Park control the pace earlier in the game and lead 15 -7 four minutes into the first half after going 2 for 6 from the three point line and led by as many as nine, 21-21 with 14:29 still left on the clock.
Sparked by sophomore Zach Pope (Orlando, FL/ Maine – Machias) off the bench, Fisher began to chip away at the Pioneers lead but Point Park's high octane attack allowed them to maintain a comfortable lead. Pope would finish the game with a season high 15 points on 6-13 shooting and 3-8 from behind the arc.
After two lead changes and two tie scores, Point Park led 52-44 at the break due mainly because of center Devon Alexander's (McKeesport, PA/ McKeesport) dominance in the paint. Alexander was able to establish inside position on almost every possession, scoring 19 first half points and giving the Pioneers a 26 -18 points in the paint advantage.
McCorkle continued his hot shooting throughout the half, leading the Falcons with 11 first half points on 4-8 shooting.
After missed shots by both teams, McCorkle was able to knock down yet another three point shot to bring Fisher within five. The Falcons and Pioneers would trade baskets back in forth giving Point Park a 69-64 lead with just over six minutes remaining.
After a made free throw by sophomore Orlando Zayas (East Boston, MA/ Keene St), the Flacons picked up the intensity and started crashing the offensive boards. Freshman Sam Nwadike (Houston, TX/ Elsik) sparked the Falcons comeback by collecting four offensive rebounds to go along with four defensive rebounds.
As the Falcons bench started showing some life the players on the court started to respond. Over the next four minutes senior Dennis Norford (New Haven, CT/ Wilbur Cross) scored six of his team high 18 points and Nwadike sunk an uncontested three to cap off a 17-6 run. Leading 81-75 with just over two minutes left, the Falcons forced a Pioneer timeout to settle their players.
Coming out the break, the atmosphere became more intense as both teams understood the importance of each possession. A Dante Anglin layup and a pair of Alexander three throws shrunk Fisher's lead to two with 1:31 left.
Coming out of another timeout junior Jimmy Taylor (Pittsburgh, PA/ CCAC-Allegheny) forced a Norford turnover and Heatherington was able to knock down the transition three.
However Fisher wasn't left without chances. Nwadike missed a three point effort on Fisher's next possession then followed Point Park's T.J Heatherington (McKeesport, PA/ Serra Catholic) . Heatherington went to the line shooting a 1 and 1 but short rimmed the first. Norford grabbed the rebound, his 13th, and found Pope streaking up the sidelines. Pope pulled up for a 20 foot jumper, missed, but Nwadike again came down with the offensive rebound. However his effort couldn't be rewarded as his put back effort was blocked by Dante Anglin as time expired.
With the loss Fisher drops to 2-7 on the season and 0-3 in the American Mideast. They will return to action on Saturday when the take on University of Maine – Fort Kent at the Colby College Tournament. The Fort Kent Bengals won the season's first meeting 76-62 back on December 6th in Lynn, MA.
Game Notes: Norford recorded his 7th double-double in 9 games this year…Pope scored 15 points after average 2.25 points per game…Point Park had all five starters score in double figures…Fisher has lost three in a row after winning Coach Lindberg's 100th career game….Fisher ranks 12th in NAIA Division II with 15.111 offensive rebounds a game…Norford is 36th in scoring at 18.1ppg and 3rd in rebound with 12.11 boards a contest