Box Score RICHMOND, Ind. â€" Saturday was all about defense for the Earlham College men's basketball team as the Quakers were able to hold off the College of Mount St. Joseph 78-73 in overtime.

"That was just a great defensive effort by our team," Earlham Head Coach Marcus Gill said. "Even their coach told me that after the game."

"We got down by 13 points early, but kept defending," Gill continued. "When we defend like that, we always have a chance to win and we did it today."
 
The extra session was also about offense as the Quakers outscored the Lions 13-8 to win the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference contest on Schuckman Court in the Athletics and Wellness Center.

Michael Parker put the Quakers up 67-65 in the overtime period with the intial basket of the frame.

After the Lions tied the game at 67-67 with 4:14 left to play, the Quakers eventually took the lead for good.

Phillip Boone drilled a 3-pointer at the 2:34 mark to make it 70-67 and the Quakers had the edge they needed as they hit enough free throws to put the game away.

Slow Start

The Lions (11-7, 8-4) grabbed an early 5-0 advantage, but the Quakers were able to answer to build a 15-9 margin after Parker scored with 10:13 remaining in the first half.

The Quakers maintained their lead until the Lions scored the last basket of the opening period to lead 30-28 at the intermission.

Earlham's offense went cold in the second half, which allowed the Lions to work their way to a 43-30 lead by the 15:12 mark.

It took the Quakers some time, but they were able to fight their way back into the contest and tie it at 57-57 on a 3-pointer by Boone at 4:24.

Both squads were able to hold small leads from that point, but the contest came down to a free throw attempt with 1.9 seconds remaining.

The Quakers trailed 65-64 when Chris Holmes was fouled. He stepped to the line and missed the first try. On his second attempt, he also missed but a lane violation allowed him a third opportunity.

Holmes didn't miss and the game was tied at 65-65.

After a Mount St. Joseph timeout, the Lions didn't get a shot off at the end of regualtion and the Quakers were primed for the victory.

Boone led the Quakers with career-high 21 points. Kirk Douglas and Parker added 20 points each.

Jack O'Flaherty tossed in eight points and Alonzo Genelin had five ponts. Holmes finished with four points, but grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

Douglas had eight blocks, which is one off the Earlham game record held set by Eric England in in 1997 against Oberlin College. For the season, Douglas now has 57 blocks and he trails England's 1996-97 mark of 63.

The Quakers (4-15, 3-9) entertain the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on Wednesday. The HCAC affair begins at 7:30 p.m.

Box Score