Cash Comes Up Clutch in Pilots 80-78 Victory Over Mobile
January 20, 2008
MOBILE, Ala. - #4 LSUS faced the University of Mobile on Saturday evening in a battle of Gulf Coast Athletic Conference unbeatens, and the Pilots handed the Rams an 80-78 loss thanks to a pair of free throws by senior Travis Cash with 4.6 seconds remaining in the contest.
The Rams jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in the game and led through the first 9:30 of action, before Clarke Jackson sank two free throws to give the Pilots a 19-18 lead.
Josh Porter then picked up where he left off on Thursday night, pouring in 15 first-half points to stretch the Pilots lead to as many as 11 points late in the half.
LSUS led 45-37 at the break.
Mobile started the second half strong, outscoring the Pilots 23-14 in the first ten minutes of the half. A three-pointer by Marcus Yeager and a short jumper by Walter Fitzgerald gave Mobile its first lead of the half, 60-59 with 9:40 to play.
Both teams battled back and forth until a pair of Jamon Morris free throws gave the Pilots a 78-76 lead with 40 seconds remaining. The Rams tied the game at 78 on a lay-up by Fitgerald with 23 seconds left in the contest.
With the Pilots holding onto the ball for the last shot, Cash was fouled with 4.6 seconds left, as he made a driving attempt to the basket. Cash, just a 54% free-throw shooter on the season, calmly knocked down both free throws, giving the Pilots a two-point lead.
Left with one last attempt to upset the #4 Pilots, Fitzgerald rimmed out on a 25-foot three-point shot that looked to have ended the Pilots unbeaten season after going halfway through the basket and then bouncing out.
Porter led four Pilots in double-figures scoring with 22 points. Morris recorded his 14th double-double of the season, finishing with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Cash ended the night with 18 points and 9 rebounds, while point guard Jared Stevenson rounded out the Pilots double-figure scorers with 13.
LSUS will be back in action on Wednesday night when they face #16 Xavier University-New Orleans at The Dock. Tip-off is set for 7:30 PM.
