BOWIE, Md. - Bowie State University men's basketball spotted visiting Gannon University a 14-0 advantage, overcame that deep deficit in the second half and came away victorious in overtime by a score of 63-59.The victory was Bowie State's third in a row and evens the Bulldogs record at 4-4 overall.
 
Seniors Omari George and Ahmaad Wilson, both of Baltimore (Md.) led the Bulldogs with 21 and 13 points respectively while sophomore Saiquan Jamison (Upper Marlboro, Md.) grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds in the win.
 
Bowie State started the game ice cold, missing their first 13 shots and trailed 14-0 at the 12:50 mark of the first half. A 3-pointer by senior Dayshawn Wells (Baltimore, Md.) with 10:16 to go in the opening stanza was Bowie State's first field goal of the evening. Wells not only ended the streak of no field goals, but also ignited a 10-2 run that cut the deficit to single digits.
 
Zay Jackson (Queens, N.Y.) scored 10 of Gannon's first 18 points, Damon Miraud (Elizabeth, N.J.) netted six points while Daryl Porter (Southfield, Mich.) added a field goal.
 
Bowie State trailed 32-22 at halftime and ended the first 20 minutes with a field goal shooting percentage of 24.1 percent (7-of-29). Gannon hit 13-of-23 first half field goals, knocking down 13-of-23.
 
Bowie State controlled the majority of the second half, scoring the first six points and generating a 12-4 run that cut the difference to 34-32.
 
Gannon appeared to fight off the rally and still held a 45-39 lead midway through the second half.
 
Bowie State followed with eight straight points to assume its first lead of the night at 47-45 with 7:09 remaining.
 
The two teams then battled through five ties and five lead changes during the remainder of regulation. Gannon took a 53-52 lead on a pair of free throws by Jair Green (Williamstown, N.J.) with 2:56 to play.
 
BSU's Wells responded with a three-pointer to push Bowie State back in front 55-53 but Gerrell Williams (Lorain, Ohio) answered with a jumper in the paint, tying the score at 55 with 1:53 left on the clock.
 
After back-to-back Gannon turnovers, Bowie State's Wilson appeared to give the home team a win by draining a jumper with 4.3 seconds left.
 
However, Gannon went the length of the court to force overtime. Evan Phoenix (Baltimore, Md.) inbounded the ball to Miraud who hit a streaking Green with a bounce pass for a game-tying lay-up that sent the teams into an extra session.
 
The two squads battled over two minutes in overtime without a point. Bowie State finally ended the drought with a George lay-in while being fouled after an offensive rebound.
 
A Phoenix lay-up on Gannon's next possession cut the deficit to one, but it proved to be the Golden Knights' final points of the game. Gannon missed four potential game-tying shots during the final 33 seconds, before Bowie State's Jamison hit a free throw with 2.8 left to ice a 63-59 victory.
 
Jackson and Williams led Gannon (4-3) with 17 and 10 points respectively. Phoenix and Miraud fell just shy of a double-double, contributing eight points each and 13 and 11 rebounds respectively.
 
The Bulldogs return to action on Monday (December 4) hosting the University of the District of Columbia in a non-conference doubleheader with the women. Bowie State and UDC will get underway at 7 p.m.