WASHINGTON – A spirited rally by Gallaudet University on Saturday against Rosemont College in a United East men's basketball game ran out of time as the Ravens escaped with a 64-62 win.

Gallaudet (0-7 overall, 0-6 vs. NCAA teams, 0-2 United East) erased a 15-point deficit in the second half and took a one-point lead, 58-57, with 1:32 left in regulation. Sophomore guards Alex Ortman (Norway, Mich.) and Jory Valencia (Riverside, Calif.) combined to score 11 straight points for the Bison in a five-minute span.

Ortman netted his 14th point in the second half with a drive towards the basket, shook off two defenders, and laid the ball in to give GU its second lead of the game. The joyous moment and lead were short-lived as Ortman got called for a technical foul after he slapped the ball out of bounds and stood over a Rosemont defender that was on the ground.

It was a costly mistake as Rosemont's freshman guard Ty Jones (22 points) sank the two free throws as the Ravens gained possession. Ortman fouled Jones with three seconds left on the shot clock as the Rosemont player went up for a shot at the 1:02 mark. A boisterous Bison crowd helped Jones miss his first attempt, but he sank the second shot as the Ravens led by two, 60-58.

GU got a clean look at the basket with 41 seconds left but first year Keanu Ray Boren (Frederick, Md.) had his 3-point shot bounce off the iron. Valencia came down with the rebound and passed it to sophomore Brandon Washington (Citronelle, Ala.), who drove the baseline towards the goal but got whistled for a charge against a Rosemont defender.

The Ravens made two more free throws to increase the margin to four, 62-58, with 15 seconds left.

GU moved fast and attempted another 3-pointer but this time it was good from first year JeVaughn Sargent (Laurel, Md.) with nine ticks left on the clock as the Bison trailed by one.

The game was played out on the free-throw line the rest of the way as Rosemont's Tyler Scarpulla remained perfect from the charity stripe (4-for-4) as he made two more free throws.

Rosemont (1-6, 1-1 United East) fouled Ortman before the Bison could take a 3-pointer in the closing seconds. Ortman made the first free throw as Gallaudet trailed, 64-62, and missed the second shot on purpose but didn't secure the rebound.

The Ravens missed two free throw attempts with under a second left to give GU one final opportunity. First year Zeke Ortiz (Frederick, Md.) threw an inbound pass from the baseline to Ortman, just inside the 3-point arc, who tapped it out to Valencia who threw up a prayer as the horn sounded but it missed the iron and only tickled the outside twine of the net.

Gallaudet shot 57.1 percent (12-for-21) from the field in the second half after the buff and blue was held to 32 percent (8-for-25) in the first half.

The Bison defense stepped up in the second half and held Rosemont to just 33.3 percent (7-for-21) from the field after a 44.4 percent (12-for-27) mark in the first half where the Ravens led 36-25 at intermission.

A frustrating stat for the Bison was Rosemont's final field goal made came at the 2:46 mark in the second half. It was a key field goal as Jones knocked down his only 3-pointer to take back the lead, 56-55, after Ortman scored a minute prior when GU led for the first time in the game. The Ravens went 8-for-12 (66.7 percent) from the free-throw line the rest of the game.

Ortman led the Bison with 22 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Ortman made 7 of 10 shots from the field and went 8-for-10 from the free-throw line. Washington chipped in 13 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Valencia finished with seven points, seven boards, five assists, four steals and one block. Sargent matched Valencia with seven points to go with four rebounds, three steals, one block and one assist.

Jones led the Ravens with 22 points as he made 8 of 9 shots from the field and went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line. Jones passed out five assists and made three steals in the win.

UP NEXT
Gallaudet travels Saturday night up to New York to prepare for Army West Point (Division I), who the Bison will face tomorrow (Sunday, Dec. 7) at noon in Christl Arena. The Black Knights are currently 3-7 this season. Bison fans traveling to the game will need to enter through Thayer or Stony Lonesome Gates, show a Real ID and park in Lot A. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+.