LIMA, Ohio — Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College men's basketball erased a 15-point second-half deficit and delivered a thrilling finish Tuesday night, rallying past the University of Northwestern Ohio for an 81-78 road victory at The Garage.
The Pomeroys (3-1) outscored the Racers 50-39 in the second half, overcoming a 39-31 halftime deficit behind a dominant performance from
EJ Reese and late-game heroics from
Mike Elliott.
Reese led SMWC with 23 points and 12 rebounds off the bench, shooting 9-of-14 from the floor. The forward was nearly unstoppable in the second half, scoring 17 points and collecting nine rebounds to help fuel the comeback.
Elliott provided the finishing touches, scoring nine of his 11 points after halftime, including a game-tying 3-pointer and a go-ahead layup in the final 78 seconds.
Terrance Hill added 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting and three assists, while
Amadou Ceesay contributed 12 points and four rebounds.
Zayvion Baker finished with 11 points and six rebounds, while Elliott added four rebounds and two assists.
Northwestern Ohio (2-1) controlled much of the opening half, jumping ahead 10-2 before extending its advantage to 11 points midway through the period. The Racers maintained their lead despite several SMWC attempts to close the gap.
Ceesay helped keep the Pomeroys within striking distance with 10 first-half points, while Baker contributed seven. A late push brought SMWC within five before Northwestern Ohio knocked down a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to take a 39-31 advantage into halftime.
The Racers appeared poised to pull away early in the second half, stretching their lead to 54-39 with 14:50 remaining.
Instead, SMWC responded with its most impressive stretch of the night.
Reese sparked the comeback with a series of baskets in the paint, while Hill and Ceesay helped the Pomeroys chip away at the deficit. Hill converted a layup and free throw to bring SMWC within 54-51 with 10:37 remaining, and
Donavon Barnett followed with a layup to make it a one-point contest.
Elliott buried a 3-pointer with 8:39 remaining to tie the game at 58, and Reese followed with a layup 22 seconds later to give the Pomeroys their first lead of the night, 60-58.
Barnett extended the advantage to four before the Racers answered with a triple.
KC Chandler responded immediately with a 3-pointer of his own, pushing SMWC ahead 65-61 with 6:52 to play.
Neither team could establish control down the stretch.
Northwestern Ohio regained a 75-72 advantage with 2:16 remaining, but the Pomeroys refused to fold. After a pair of Reese free throws cut the deficit to one, Elliott took over in the final moments.
With 1:18 remaining, Elliott connected from beyond the arc off an assist from Reese, tying the contest at 75.
Following a defensive stop and a subsequent exchange of turnovers, Elliott came away with a steal and raced in for a layup with 27 seconds remaining, putting SMWC ahead 77-75.
Baker then delivered at the free-throw line, knocking down two attempts with eight seconds remaining to extend the advantage to four.
Northwestern Ohio's Taj Kimber connected on a 3-pointer with two seconds remaining, trimming the deficit to 79-78. Baker answered with two more free throws with one second left, sealing the dramatic three-point victory.
The Pomeroys shot 52.5% from the floor, including 19-of-32 (59.4%) in the second half. SMWC dominated the interior, outscoring Northwestern Ohio 44-18 in the paint and holding a 41-29 rebounding advantage.
SMWC also received a significant lift from its reserves, whose 41 points included 23 from Reese and 11 from Elliott. The Pomeroys finished with 20 second-chance points compared with just five for the Racers.
Omar Zeigler led Northwestern Ohio with 20 points, while Kimber added 17.
Up Next: Challenging Road Tests Await
The Pomeroys face a demanding stretch away from home, beginning Wednesday, Nov. 4, with a 7 p.m. CT exhibition contest against NCAA Division I University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, Indiana.
The exhibition will provide SMWC with an opportunity to compete against Division I competition before returning to regular-season action with two challenging matchups at the Chick-fil-A Classic in McKenzie, Tennessee.
SMWC will open tournament play Friday, Nov. 6, against host Bethel University (Tenn.) at 8 p.m. CT before facing the University of Tennessee Southern on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 2 p.m. CT.
The two Tennessee contests represent an important early-season test for the Pomeroys as they look to build on their dramatic comeback victory and continue their strong start to the 2026-27 campaign.
SMWC Upcoming Schedule
- Wednesday, Nov. 4: at Southern Indiana (Exhibition), 7 p.m. CT — Evansville, Ind.
- Friday, Nov. 6: at Bethel (Tenn.), 8 p.m. CT — Chick-fil-A Classic, McKenzie, Tenn.
- Saturday, Nov. 7: vs. Tennessee Southern, 2 p.m. CT — Chick-fil-A Classic, McKenzie, Tenn.
