Wildcats Fall in Overtime Heartbreaker to Yellowjackets, 92-91

BALDWIN CITY - In another intense matchup between the two teams, Baker men's basketball had its upset bid against No. 20 Graceland come up short in heartbreaking fashion as the Wildcats fell to the Yellowjackets, 92-91, in overtime here Saturday evening in the Collins Center.

After fighting their way back to force overtime, the Wildcats couldn't hold on to a four-point lead in the final minute with Graceland getting the game-winning layup to fall with nine seconds left. BU's last-ditch effort on the other end came up empty, snapping a six-game winning streak in its recent rivalry with the Yellowjackets.

It was another back-and-forth battle throughout, and then some with overtime, with 13 ties, nine lead changes, and neither side leading by more than seven points all game long. Both teams shot about the exact same from the field, and Baker (10) made a few more 3-pointers than GU (7), but with a combined 78 free throws in the game, it was hard for either squad to gain too much momentum.

Cam Jones led all scorers in the high-scoring affair and matched his season high with 25 points. Myles Tucker hit a hot stretch in the second half and finished with 18 points, while Jimmy Dorsey knocked down four triples to tally 16 points. Luke McDonald came up with some big plays in overtime and posted a solid night with 10 points and seven rebounds.

After falling for the first time in conference play on Wednesday, Graceland grabbed control early on against the Wildcats, jumping out to a 9-2 lead in the game's first five minutes. Meanwhile, Dorsey provided the spark initially for BU, knocking down a jumper and a three before slamming home a baseline dunk.

Dorsey's second trey of the game pulled Baker within one at 17-16 midway through the first half before the scoring came to a bit of a lull. McDonald converted a breakaway layup on a steal to give the Wildcats their first lead, and Dorsey splashed in another three to make it a five-point BU advantage.

Graceland punched back to reclaim the lead with just over five minutes left in the half, but six consecutive points from Tucker and a three from Lucas Lyons helped the Wildcats match pace as the Yellowjackets went into the locker room with a 40-37 lead.

In the second half, a three by Tucker made it a one-point game within the first two minutes before the Wildcats' next triple tied things up at 48-48 with Dorsey nailing another three-point dagger.

The two teams traded old-fashioned three-point plays with Jones converting BU's to start a 7-0 run with him and Shane Threadgill knocking down consecutive jumpers. A pair of free throws from Jones gave Baker its largest lead of the game at 65-60 with a little less than nine minutes left to go in regulation.

The Wildcats cooled offensively, allowing Graceland to work its way back with a couple of 3-pointers, helping the Yellowjackets swing their deficit to a six-point lead. Baker eventually regained its footing, though, with Tucker draining a three on a second-chance possession and then another triple just a little bit later to make it a two-point game.

Trailing by four with two minutes left in regulation, McDonald tallied three straight points, including a tough spinning layup that rolled around the rim and in to pull BU within one. After a missed jumper from GU, Jones swished a pair of go-ahead free throws to give Baker a one-point lead with 36 seconds remaining.

The Yellowjackets were fouled on the ensuing possession, but made only one of them to keep the game at an 80-80 deadlock and a last-second jumper from Gunnels fell short to send the two teams to overtime for the fourth time in their last seven meetings.

In the extra period, Graceland jumped out to a three-point advantage before a huge three by Threadgill tied things up again at 85-85. Jones came through with a bucket on back-to-back possessions and another breakaway steal-turned-layup from McDonald gave Baker a four-point lead with less than a minute left to play.

GU responded with a timely three on its end and followed it up with a crucial stop on defense to set up the game-winning play. A layup on a backdoor cut gave the Yellowjackets the lead with nine seconds and Threadgill's falling-away 3-pointer came up short to bring the conference thriller to a heartbreaking end.

In a rematch of last year's Heart of America Tournament Championship game, the Wildcats fell for the first time against Graceland since the 2022-23 season. Baker swept the season series the past two years, including winning all three games last season, punctuated by the 74-45 thrashing in the Heart title game.

Baker will look to rebound from its back-to-back setbacks with another tough matchup, traveling to Fayette, Mo., to face Central Methodist on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 7:30 p.m.

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