'Runners Down Blinn at Buzzer

By GARY STALLARD

AC Athletics

(Photo by Clara Sonet for AC Athletics)

Just a week after hitting a big shot to send the game in to overtime – an eventual win over No. 7 Panola College – Angelina College's Chris Carpenter managed to "one-up" himself.

Carpenter drilled a game-winning three-pointer with just .7 seconds remaining in Wednesday's game against Blinn College, lifting the Roadrunners to a thrilling 72-69 win at Shands Gymnasium.

The game featured a classic back-and-forth battle, with the largest lead a nine-point cushion Blinn held with a 24-15 lead with 8:37 remaining in the first half. AC would help trim that deficit to a two-point margin, trailing 36-34 at the end of the first half.

There were four ties in the second half, with the last one coming on a bucket from Blinn's Reese Miller with 21 second to play in the game.

After a Roadrunner timeout, Carpenter walked the ball up the floor to run the clock before passing off and moving to his right. After taking a pass from a teammate, Carpenter let fly from beyond the three-point arc. His shot found nothing but net with less than a second remaining, leaving Blinn no time to respond.

Carpenter finished the game with a team-high 15 points to go with six assists. Kanaan Holder and Jordan Mathews added 13 points each, while Christian Jones finished the game with 12 points.

Blinn's Miller led the Bucs with 18 points.

The win extended the Roadrunners' winning streak to six games and keeps the team tied for first in the Region XIV conference standings. AC (14-2, 7-1) will host Kilgore College on Saturday, Jan. 18, with tipoff at Shands Gymnasium scheduled for 4 p.m.

The email address for AC's Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.