SCRANTON, Pa. — The Pratt Institute men's basketball team erased an 18-point deficit to briefly take the lead in the second half, but a furious comeback bid fell just short in an 84-80 loss to Marywood University on Saturday afternoon in Atlantic East action at Insalaco Arena.
First-year forward Kurt Thomas (Dallas, Texas) led the Cannoneers (8-5, 0-2 AEC) with a game- and career-high 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting, adding four rebounds and a steal. Senior guard Mekhi Davis (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored 13 points, while sophomore guard Thomas Graetz (Sydney, Australia) and junior forward Trey Phillips (Phoenix, Ariz.) each added 12.
First-year guard Elijah Fermaint (Orlando, Fla.) orchestrated the offense with eight assists, grabbing five rebounds and a game-high four steals. Sebastian Roda (Greenwich, Conn.) added nine points off the bench, with three rebounds and three assists.
Pratt got off to a slow start and trailed by as many as 18 points, 24-6, and faced a 46-38 deficit at the break. The gold-and-black chipped away in the second half, using a 13-2 run to turn the tide. A layup by Davis cut the deficit to 48-42, and two free throws by Fermaint made it a one-possession game. On the next trip down the floor, Fermaint stole the ball and scored in transition to give Pratt its first lead of the contest, 49-48, with 15:43 to play.
The teams traded blows from there, with the game tied at 51-51 before Marywood (8-5, 1-1) responded with a 13-2 run to regain control. Pratt made one final push, cutting the lead to 82-78 on a Phillips jumper with 24 seconds left, but the Pacers held on from the free-throw line to secure the victory.
Marywood was led by Collin Himmelberg, who scored 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Michel Loftin added 16 points for the Pacers.
Pratt scored 26 points off 19 Marywood turnovers and dominated the paint, outscoring the hosts 44-26.
The Cannoneers return to the Activity Resource Center on Wednesday, Jan. 14, for a 7 p.m. Atlantic East matchup against Centenary University.
