BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Medaille College men's basketball team had the Sullivan Center on its feet in a thrilling win over the Houghton College Highlanders Thursday night. Senior Kendall McGill (Largo, MD, Largo) scored the game-winning three to put the Mavericks up 75-74 with 4.2 seconds left on the clock. Two made free throws by senior Rodney Graves (Woodbridge, VA, Colgan) secured the victory, as Medaille took down the Highlanders 77-74. The Mavericks pushed Houghton to 0-6 on the season and improved their record to 3-3 ahead of their first conference matchup this Saturday.

Medaille fell behind early by a score of 12-6, but back-to-back made threes by Travis Sanders (Cleveland, OH, Euclid) and McGill tied the score to spark the Mavericks comeback. The Mavericks and Highlanders exchanged baskets in a first half that featured ten lead changes and four ties. Houghton took a tight 40-39 lead into the locker room at the half. Nine different Mavericks scored in the first half to display the depth of their roster.

The second half advertised strong defensive play from the Mavericks, who capitalized on the Houghton's turnovers, scoring 16 points off of them. Graves and Sanders opened up the scoring in the second half and put the Mavericks up 43-40 to show the Highlanders they would not back down. The Mavericks continued to score and held a 55-46 lead, but started to fall behind after multiple fouls that gave Houghton free throw opportunities.

The Highlanders took control with a 72-65 lead with 3:45 left in regulation. Two made free throws by Jaqwan Washington (Bryan, TX, Bryan) cut the Houghton lead to five points and sparked a Mavericks comeback. A forced turnover led to a McGill layup to tie the game at 72-72 with 1:54, leaving the fans on the edge of their seats. Trevor Young (Buffalo, NY, Frederick Law Olmsted) and Graves kept the score tied with one minute remaining in the game with two huge blocks.

Houghton converted on two late free throws to go up 74-72, but Washington had other plans. The freshman guard played lock-down defense and recorded two steals to stun the Highlanders' offense with 13 seconds remaining. McGill made no mistake, putting the game away off a nifty pass from Washington.

Game leaders for the Mavericks were McGill with 20 points and nine rebounds, Graves with 15 points, and Sanders with 13 points. Nick Carmichael (Ontario, NY, Wayne) brought in five big rebounds and Washington finished the game with three impressive steals.

The Mavericks face Allegheny Mountain College Conference (AMCC) opponent Penn State Altoona on Saturday, December 4 at 4 p.m. The game will be the second of a double-header featuring both the men's and women's teams.