Box Score WILBERFORCE, Ohio - Cedarville rallied in the final minutes at Central State to pull out a 68-65 non-conference victory before 1,318 Greene County Appreciation Night fans.

The Yellow Jackets won their third straight game to improve to 8-9. They've also won the last five contests played between the two schools on the Marauders' home court.

CSU led from the opening tip until the waning moments. It was a 59-52 difference with 6:10 remaining when Cedarville made its move.

Patrick Bain's three-pointer at the 4:50 mark created the game's first tie, 59-59. After the Marauders answered with a three-point play, the visitors scored the next seven points to take the lead for good.

With the Jackets leading 67-65, Central State called timeout in the forecourt with five seconds left. Easton Bazzoli stole the inbounds pass, was fouled, and hit one-of-two free throws with three seconds to go. CSU's desperation shot at the buzzer was wide.

Bain and J.C. Faubion scored 17 points apiece. Bazzoli finished with 12 points, Robert Okoro grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds for the second straight game, and Justice Montgomery dished out five assists.

Quotable: Head Coach Pat Estepp

"That game was everything we thought it would be going in. Central is well-coached and it is always tough to play there. I am really proud of our guys and the effort and toughness we displayed tonight!

"We struggled to get any flow going offensively, but we really battled on the defensive end and especially on the boards.

"We won that game on the boards and Rob (Okoro) was tremendous in getting offensive rebounds. He is the best we've had at rebounding outside his area since Mugabe Thomas.

"Easton played a really complete game and Pat (Bain), Justice (Montgomery), and J.C. (Faubion) made big plays, especially late. I thought we got some good minutes off our bench as well.

"Each guy that played made something happen tonight and we don't win without it. This group has never quit in practice and that really showed up tonight. They don't quit."

Numbers Game:

• Okoro has 35 rebounds in his last three games.
• Faubion scored in double figures for the 9th time in the last 10 contests.
• The Yellow Jackets had the rebounding edge, 40-25, which included 16 offensive boards.
• Cedarville's five-game winning streak at CSU has been by an average winning margin of 5.4 points.
• Central State leads the all-time series, 30-16, which began during the 1960-61 season.
• PDF Stats

Next Up: The Yellow Jackets resume Great Midwest Athletic Conference play on Jan. 28 when they welcome Davis & Elkins at 7:45 p.m. EST.

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