TULLAHOMA, Tenn. — The Three Rivers men's basketball team overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half but three turnovers in the final minute kept the Raiders from finishing off the comeback Monday night.
Motlow State scored the final five points of the game from the free-throw line to edge Three Rivers 80-76.
The Raiders (1-2) pulled ahead by a point on two free throws by Kinyon Hodges with 1:26 remaining while the Bucks tied it when Anthony Bowen split two foul shots.
Kolbe Gray's steal led to a pair of free throws with 43 seconds left to put Motlow State ahead before the teams traded turnovers. The Raiders lost the ball out of bounds and were forced to foul Bowen with 7.8 seconds left. The freshman guard missed the first but made the second and a last-second 3-pointer by Three Rivers fell short.
Kiner led the Raiders with 28 points while Paul Greene added a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Lamar Wilkerson and Hodges each scored nine points while Kevin Jones added eight.
Bowen scored a game-high 29 points on 6 of 12 shooting from 3-point range as the Bucks sank 13 3-pointers.
The Raiders shot 39.5% from the field, including 6 of 21 on 3-pointers, and sank 10 of 16 foul shots to Motlow State's 11 of 17. Three Rivers finished plus-4 on rebounds with 14 second-chance points and scored 40 points in the paint.
Motlow State (2-3) scored nine straight midway through the first half for its first double-digit lead and the Bucks led by as many as 13 after Bowen's 3-pointer.
Three Rivers answered with a 10-2 run capped by a Keith Kiner dunk at the 1:30 mark to pull the Raiders within 39-34.
The Bucks scored the final five points of the half to lead 44-34 at the break.
Motlow State's lead was 12 early just two minutes into the second half when Kiner got a three-point play before Paul Greene's steal and dunk. Kevin Jones scored on a break as he was fouled, hitting the free throw before Lamar Wilkerson's steal led to a dunk by Hodges to cap a 10-0 run and get the Raiders within 49-47.
Bowen hit a long 3 to start a 7-1 swing for the Bucks.
Lamont Jackson scored and later got a steal leading to a bucket by Greene before Kiner's dunk off a pass from Shannon Strickland tied the game at 59-all with 10:15 to play.
Nico Ashley's 3 broke a 61-all tie as Motlow State scored seven straight.
With just under six minutes left, Hodges sank a 3 then got a dunk after Wilkerson's steal to put the Raiders even.
Kiner's 3 at the 4:20 mark put Three Rivers ahead 71-70, the first lead for the Raiders since 4-3.
Brandon Nicholas later put Motlow State ahead with a 3-pointer and Bowen sank two foul shots for a 75-71 lead with just over 3 minutes to play. Wilkerson scored and Kiner split a pair of foul shots at the 2:21 mark to make it a one-point game. Hodges later got a steal leading to his free throws for the lead.
Three Rivers last played Motlow State during the 1992-93 season and the teams will meet again Jan. 12 at the Libla Family Sports Complex.
The Raiders travel this weekend to West Burlington, Iowa, for the Missouri/Iowa Challenge. At 2 p.m. Friday, Three Rivers will play Triton (Ill.) while at 1 p.m. Saturday it will be Marshalltown (Iowa).
Story courtesy of the Daily American Republic