ATHENS, W.Va. -- Davis & Elkins rallied late in a back-and-forth matchup as Concord held off the surging Senators during a 107-100 double overtime decision Monday night in the opening round of the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament inside the Carter Center.
Breland Walton, who scored 27 points after halftime, hit the game-tying bucket with under five seconds remaining in regulation
to force overtime. Davis & Elkins (4-11) had tremendous contributions from throughout the lineup, including a game-high 30 points for Gyasi Powell.
Walton finished with 29 points and 14 rebounds and Sam Rolle IV had a double-double of his own with 23 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
Concord (9-7) was led by Malik Johnson's 29 points, while Ethan Heller notched 28 points. Liam Evans posted 21 points with eight boards for the Mountain Lions, which outscored the Senators 17-10 in the second overtime frame.
D&E shot 48.1% from the floor and Concord finished 50.6% from the field in the second overtime matchup of the season between the two squads.
Davis & Elkins and Concord were meeting in the postseason for the first time since the 2008 season as members of the WVIAC. Johnson hit several big buckets for the Mountain Lions down the stretch, answering Walton and the Senators late.
Johnson's three with 1:48 to go in the second overtime made it a six-point game and the Mountain Lions held on down the stretch.
Davis & Elkins got off to a quick start from deep, converting 50% of its three-point attempts at the first media timeout. Tumanoff, Rolle and Gyasi all converted buckets to push D&E ahead 16-11 at 12:15 in the first half.
The Senators pushed the pace in transition with lay-ins from Leslie and Powell for a 22-13 lead. The Mountain Lions began to hit their stride on offense, trimming the deficit before tying the score at 26 off a Brandon Kennedy triple.
A Heller three proved to be the last bucket of the opening half as Concord took a narrow 35-34 lead into the halftime break. CU limited Walton to just two points at the break after swarming the junior on the defensive end.
The Senators opened the second half on a quick 10-0 spurt after a pair of three-pointers from Fable Burden III and Powell. Walton scored the next two buckets from the low block for a 44-37 edge.
The Mountain Lions countered back with a 10-2 run of its own to take back momentum and move ahead 51-48, forcing a D&E timeout with 14:02 remaining. Off a miss, Heller dropped in a straightaway triple for a 56-51 CU lead.
The Mountain Lions maintained a slim lead but the Senators were able to remain within striking distance. Walton hit a foul shot to tie the game at 74 and put the Senators in front with the back-end of the two shots.
Johnson converted the old fashioned three-point play on the next possession as the Mountain Lions surged back in front by two at 77-75. Johnson drove down the lane for a layup to push CU ahead by one at 80-79.
D&E will tip off the new season in November, while Concord advances to play West Liberty on Friday in the next round of the MEC Tournament.
