MIAMI GARDENS, Florida — WVU Tech erased a six-point deficit in the final 2:41 and held on to upset NAIA Division II No. 18 St. Thomas University 83-80 Wednesday night.
Tech (9-5), which received votes in the most recent top 25, trailed 80-74 after a three-pointer by St. Thomas' Mikon Hewitt. But, a three-pointer by freshman Andreas Jönsson with 2:23 left cut the deficit to three and started a 9-0 run for the Golden Bears.
After a pair of free throws by senior Michael Scott, freshman Tamon Scruggs hit a layup with 1:07 remaining to put Tech up 81-80. Then, a layup by junior Cole Schoolcraft made it a three-point game with 12 seconds to play. St. Thomas missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and the Gold and Blue snapped a two-game losing streak.
"I am very proud of our team," Tech head coach Bob Williams said. "This was a great win over a strong team. Cole Schoolcraft played super and our young kids (Scruggs and Jönsson) made big plays. This can be a game that can build momentum after the holiday break."
Scruggs led the Golden Bears with 24 points and eight rebounds. Scott added 17 points and junior
Brent Daniels poured in 12, while Schoolcraft had five assists and four rebounds.
The Golden Bears are off until New Year's Day when they travel to NCAA DII Davis & Elkins College.
