WARREN, Mich. – The winning streak was extended to a season-best nine games Wednesday (Jan. 26) as No. 10 Macomb Men's Basketball defeated a talented Henry Ford team in overtime by a 74-73 final. The win elevates the Monarchs record to 15-1 overall and a perfect 5-0 in MCCAA Eastern Conference play. The visiting Hawks, now on a four-game skid, fell to 11-7 overall and 2-4 in league action after seeing the Monarchs prevail in what could be best described as a heavyweight battle between a pair of talent-laden teams.
The win also gave the Monarchs a game-and-a-half lead atop the Eastern Conference standings as No. 3 Mott lost on the road to Oakland Community College Wednesday evening. (MCCAA East Standings)
After trailing 22-10 midway through the first half, the Monarchs fought back, going on an 18-1 run over a five-minute span to take a 28-23 lead with five minutes remaining in the opening stanza. The teams exchanged shots from there before NJCAA DII Player of the Week Jiovanni Miles (Novi, Mich./Wisconsin-Green Bay) sank a half court shot at the buzzer to put the Monarchs in front by one, 33-32, at the break.
In the second half, the Monarchs jumped out to a 42-33 lead before the Hawks answered with a run of their own to eventually regain the lead by a 53-49 margin with just over 11 minutes remaining. As part of a game that featured six lead changes and three ties, neither team led by more than two possessions for most of the second half as the Monarchs and Hawks battled to an even 64-64 tally after 40 minutes of play to force overtime.
The Hawks struck first in the extra session, but the Monarchs once again made big shots when it counted, going on an 8-0 run to turn a 66-64 deficit into a 72-66 advantage just over two minutes remaining in overtime. The 8-0 run, featuring triples by Miles and Elijah Belle (Detroit, Mich./Davenport), and a driving layup by John Ukomadu (Bloomfield, Mich./Vincennes), proved to be the difference as the Monarchs earned the hard-fought 74-73 victory. Ukomadu also made a pair of free throws late to help secure the conference win.
Ukomadu, a sophomore forward who received his eighth NCAA Division I offer earlier Wednesday, led the Monarchs with a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds. Miles, also the reigning MCCAA Eastern Conference Player of the Week, dropped in 17 points and added five boards, while Belle and Tariq Humes (Farmington, Mich./Elevation Prep) each tallied 14 points to round out the scorers in double figures for the Monarchs.
Belle dished out seven assists and corralled three rebounds to accompany his 14-point effort.
Jaylen Daughtery (Detroit, Mich./Mott) came up big throughout the contest, crashing the glass for a game-high 13 rebounds in the winning effort.
As a team, the Monarchs outrebounded the Hawks 45-39, including a 14-7 advantage on the offensive glass, leading to an 11-9 edge in second chance points in a game where every possession counted. Daughtery accounted for half of the Monarchs' offensive boards to tie the Hawks team total (seven offensive rebounds).
