Griffin's Late Game Heroics Lead Bucs Over Meridian
Meridian, MS- The Shelton State Bucs took down Meridian, 72-70, after Nazir Griffin banked in a shot as time expired.
The Bucs (3-3) were led once again by Nazir Griffin as he posted a team high 15 points, followed by Kuron Coleman with 12 and Troy Dunn with 10. Hasani Rivera continues to lead the Bucs on the glass as he pulled down 7 rebounds. As a team, the Bucs shot 44 percent from beyond the arc (7-16) and 89 percent from the free throw line (17-19).
The 1st half saw the Bucs and Eagles battle nearly to a draw but a late and-1 at the buzzer carried the Eagles to a one-point half-time advantage. Both halves would end with shots being made at the buzzer.
The 2nd half was a back-and-forth affair until the Eagles went on 13-0 run with around 6 minutes to play stretching their lead to a game high 15 points. The Bucs battled back eventually closing the gap to 2 with just under one minute to play. Needing a defensive stop and a bucket to tie the game, the Bucs got a steal and quick outlet to Darius Brant who missed the lay-up, but Griffin was there for the game-tying putback. With just a 7 second difference between the game clock and shot clock, the Eagles took nearly all the remaining time off the clock before attempting to shoot. Nazir Griffin once again stepped up drawing a charge and giving the Bucs the ball with just 5.2 seconds remaining. Griffin, receiving the ball on the opposite baseline, raced down the court and banked in a leaning jumper as time expired to lift the Bucs to victory.
The Bucs return to action Friday, November 22nd, as they host Southern Crescent Technical College.