BROOKLYN -- Cannoneers guard Sam Peterson raced 60 feet in five seconds and banked home the game-winning layup as time expired, giving Pratt a thrilling 56-54 win Tuesday night at the ARC.
Following a New School offensive foul, the senior guard caught an inbounds pass opposite the visitors' bench, raced the majority of the floor through four Narwhals defenders and tossed in the game-winning, left-handed lay-in as the horn sounded.
The dramatic game-winner sealed a career night for the senior, as he totaled a game-high 22 points on 8-14 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and four assists, playing all 40 minutes.
New School turned the ball over three times in the final 19 seconds, the first resulting in a pair of Peterson missed free throws -- his only misfires in eight attempts at the stripe. With the game still knotted at 54-54 two turnovers later, Peterson's layup capped his penultimate performance in a Pratt uniform, making victors of the Cannoneers and improving the club to 6-10 on the year.
The teams exchanged leads the entire game, with the contest featuring 13 ties and 22 lead changes. Pratt took a 26-24 lead into halftime after a pair of Mehmet Dognata free throws and a Peterson jumper in the final minute of the first. The Cannoneers held a slim lead for the majority of the second half, with three points marking the widest margin for the entire frame. Two more Dognata free throws and a basket from the left wing from the freshman guard put Pratt on top 52-49 with 2:08 to play.
Nineteen seconds later, Narwhals forward Dahi Divine sank a three-pointer from the corner in front of the New School bench to tie the contest at 52-52. The teams then went without a point for nearly two minutes, until Peterson's layup won it for Pratt.
For The New School, Dustin Sodano led the team with 21 points, while Divine added eight off the bench for the Narwhals, which outrebounded Pratt 45-39.
Dognata added 16 points on 6-6 shooting at the line and a game-best nine rebounds, and forwards Nicholas Lensander and Aaron Nininger brought home eight boards each. Guard Tom Xia connected on 3-3 shooting for seven points in nine minutes off the bench.
Pratt wraps up its season tomorrow against Berkeley (NY) College in Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play at 7:30 p.m. at the ARC.
