EDINBORO, Pa. (February 20, 2016) – Two years ago, Kameron Taylor came into McComb Fieldhouse and beat Edinboro with a jumper at the buzzer. On Saturday afternoon, the Seton Hill standout nearly duplicated the fete, burying a jumper with one second left to spoil Senior Day and hand the Fighting Scots a 76-74 defeat. The heart-breaking loss dropped Edinboro to 14-10 overall and 13-8 in the PSAC West. The Griffins improved to 12-13 and 10-11, respectively, while remaining in the hunt for one of the two remaining PSAC playoff berths in the West.

The loss knocks Edinboro out of a chance to finish second in the PSAC West, as Mercyhurst defeated California(Pa.) today to pull a game ahead of the Fighting Scots with one game to play. The Lakers own the tiebreaker. The Fighting Scots are still assured of hosting a first-round playoff game on Saturday, February 27, and can clinch third place with a win in their final regular season game at California(pa.) on Wednesday, February 24.

Edinboro jumped off to a fast start as the Fighting Scots made seven of their first nine shots while grabbing a 15-4 lead less than five minutes into the game, with Tommy Scales scoring six points. However, the Griffins answered with a 19-5 run to take a three-point lead at 23-20 halfway through the half.

 

The game turned into a tight contest after that, featuring seven ties and ten lead changes. Neither team led by more than three points the remainder of the first half, which found Edinboro clinging to a 37-35 lead at intermission.

After revealing a wish of a trip to San Diego for 10-year-old Everson Reynolds during halftime, Edinboro came out and pulled ahead by seven points at 46-39 with 15:09 to play, as Scales capped a run of six straight points with a layup.

That was the largest lead either team would enjoy in the second half. Trailing 48-42, the Griffins ran off ten straight points for a 52-48 advantage, the last three on a basket from beyond the arc by Taylor.

The Seton Hill lead would eventually grow to 57-52 with 9:41 to play before Edinboro rallied to grab a 64-59 lead with 6:55 to play thanks to a 12-2 run. Henri Wade-Chatman capped the run with a 3-pointer, as he accounted for six of the points.

Seton Hill refused to fold, however, as neither team led by more than three points the rest of the way. Wade-Chatman's layup with 2:01 to play gave Edinboro a 71-68 lead. Taylor cut the deficit to a point with a jumper, and following a miss and a shot clock violation by the Scots, the senior guard gave the Griffins a 72-71 lead with a layup with 43 seconds remaining.

After an Edinboro miss, Damjan Sredanovic's layup gave the Griffins a 74-71 advantage and capped a 6-0 run with just 17 seconds to play. Wade-Chatman would tie the contest at 74-74 with 14.9 seconds remaining when he drained a step-back three from the right wing.

Seton Hill left the final play in Taylor's hands. Closely guarded by Wade-Chatman, he attempted to drive to the basket, then pulled up and hit a contested 15-foot jumper from the left wing with a second showing. Edinboro inbounded the ball to midcourt but was unable to get a shot off.
 

One of four seniors honored before the game, Wade-Chatman matched his career-high with 32 points. The senior guard made 11-of-24 field goals, including 5-of-9 3-pointers, and was 5-for-7 at the line. Scales, another of the seniors, recorded his sixth double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds, making 9-of-16 field goals. After scoring 36 points in the first meeting with the Griffins, Jaymon Mason was limited to 14 points on just 11 shots, making six.

Noah Davis, who burned the Fighting Scots for a career-high 33 points in the first go-around, proved a thorn in the side of the Scots once again. The junior forward made 6-of-10 3-pointers on his way to 26 points, his third game of 20-or-more points against Edinboro in his career.

Taylor added 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. No other Griffin scored more than six points, but center Spencer Casson played a huge role in the contest. The 6'8" sophomore pulled down 10 rebounds as blocked eight shots.

Edinboro shot 39.2 percent for the game (29-of-74), while Seton hill sizzled in the second half at 56.7 percent (17-of-30) to end the day at 50.0 percent (29-of-58). The Griffins made 8-of-16 shots from beyond the arc, while Edinboro was just 5-of-16. Edinboro made 11-of-13 free throws and Seton Hill was at 10-of-11. Edinboro held a 43-33 edge on the glass, including 18 offensive boards, leading to a 19-6 advantage in second-chance points.