By: Athletic Communications Student Assistant Joe Meyer '24

BEREA, Ohio - The Baldwin Wallace University men's basketball dropped an overtime thriller to the No. 4 nationally ranked University of Mount Union in an Ohio Athletic Conference contest, by a final score of 84-81 in Ursprung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Center.

BW Leaders (5-7, 1-4 OAC)

• Senior forward Jackson Simmons (Wadsworth) scored a career-high 25 points and added 9 rebounds to lead the Yellow Jackets.
• Senior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC guard Jake Snyder recorded 18 points while also dishing out a game-high 8 assists.
• Sophomore forward Zoltan Nagy (Lakewood/St. Edward) followed up his 13 rebound performance in BW's previous outing with 12 rebounds and 6 points.
• Sophomore guard Ashton Price (Bay Village/Bay) added 15 points.

Mount Union Leaders (11-1, 3-1 OAC)

• Junior All-OAC forward Christian Parker led the way for Mount Union, notching a double-double with a game-high 30 points and 10 rebounds.
• Graduate guard Darrell Newsom added 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.
• Senior All-OAC guard Collen Gurley added 13 points for the Purple Raiders.

First Half (35-29 Mount Union)

• After starting the game 1-of-11 from the field, the Yellow Jackets battled back with 8 points in less than a minute to tie the game at 10 at the 13:15 mark.
• With just over five minutes until the break, Price found a cutting Simmons for an easy layup which gave the Yellow Jackets a 24-22 lead, their first of the evening.
• The Purple Raiders took a 35-29 advantage into the locker room after a tightly contested half in which neither team led by more than 6 points.
• Snyder and Simmons both notched 8 first-half points to lead the Yellow Jackets.

Second Half (Tied 71-71)

• Back-to-back baskets from Price and Simmons cut Mount Union's lead to 40-39 just four minutes into the half.
• Junior guard Luke Driscoll (Carmel, Calif.) buried a 12-ft. jumper to give BW a 49-48 lead with 12:22 to play.
• After the Purple Raiders tied the game at 54, Snyder connected on a corner three, giving the Yellow Jackets a 57-54 lead with just over seven minutes remaining.
• Snyder's three-pointer sparked an 8-1 BW run, as the Yellow Jackets took a 62-55 lead with 6:02 to play.
• The fourth-ranked Purple Raiders battled back, outscoring BW 16-4 over the next 4:41 to take a 71-66 lead with 1:21 remaining.
• Snyder's fourth three-pointer of the night, followed by a defensive stop, set up Simmons' game-tying layup with 34 seconds left.
• Mount Union's final shot of regulation rimmed out at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime tied at 71. 

Overtime (84-81 Mount Union)

• Three-pointers from Snyder and Simmons gave the Yellow Jackets a 77-75 lead with 3:34 left in the extra period.
• BW held an 80-77 lead with just over two minutes to go, but Mount Union responded with a 6-0 run to take an 83-80 lead with 17 seconds to play.
• Trailing 84-81 in the dying seconds, BW's final half-court heave fell short at the buzzer.

The Yellow Jackets are back in action on Saturday, January 7 as they travel to New Concord to take on Muskingum University in the first game of a men's and women's OAC doubleheader. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. on Muskingum's Performance Court inside the Anne C. Steele Arena.