Buzzer-Beater Finish Gives Cougars the Edge Over CSM Hawks 92-90

A last-second rebound and quick put-back from freshman Malik Witherspoon capped off a 30-point performance to give the Frederick Cougars men's basketball team the victory over the College of Southern Maryland Hawks at the buzzer 92-90.

The start of the game could not have gone any better for the Cougars as they had scored 29 points in the first ten and a half minutes of play and had a six-point lead shooting over 70% from the field during that time. The Cougars took their largest lead, 13 points, at 6:42 in the first half. 

While the shooting cooled off a bit, the Cougars' ability to get to the free-throw line and capitalize, making 11 of 17 first-half free-throws, proved effective. As a result, the Cougars went into halftime ahead of the Hawks by six points and three players in double-digit points, 49-43.   

The game got more intense as the second half went on.  College of Southern MD regained the lead after Rasheed Cooley, the Hawks' leading scorer with 29 points, stole an errant pass and scored on a fast break with 14:42 on the clock. From this point, the score would be tied up seven times, and the lead would change hands 18 times. 

The game boiled down to the final 22.1 seconds, where Justin Morrisey would sink two free throws giving the Cougars a 90-88 lead. Eleven seconds later, Isaiah Horner fouled Magic Hewlett driving to the basket. The Hawks would make two free throws to tie the game at 90 a piece with 11.8 seconds to play. Horner would inbound to Cole McKeever, and McKeever would dribble from end-line to end-line to find Horner, whose jumper was no-good, but Witherspoon pulled down his 12^th rebound of the game and put it back up and in as time ran out to give the Cougars a two-point victory and their seventh win at home.

The starters provided most of the scoring, but the bench came in and provided valuable minutes on defense, protected the ball, and kept possession on offense. Malik Witherspoon recorded his second 30-point performance of the season to finish with a game-high 30 points and 12 rebounds. Justin Morrisey dropped 24 points with six rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while Adam Abdelrahim followed up with 14 points and eight rebounds. Isaiah Horner chipped in 11 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Cole McKeever recorded nine points and four assists. 

The Cougars close out the regular season on the road at Cecil College this Saturday, February 25, at 1 PM.

Image credit: Lytebox Photography