Wilberforce, Ohio-Trailing by as many as 32 points in the second half, Edward Waters began a Herculean comeback chopping the lead down to one with :13 seconds remaining. A potential game-winning shot came up short as the Tigers fell 88-85 to Central State in an SIAC road contest at Beacom/Lewis Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

Edward Waters (1-1, 1-1 SIAC) faced a proverbial blitzkrieg of shots from Central State (1-2, 1-0 SIAC), with the Marauders starting the contest on an 11-0 run over the first 2:35 of the first half. Central State carried that double-digit advantage throughout the remainder of the first half, ultimately taking a 53-27 lead into the locker room.

Central State continued to pile on at the start of the second half, seeing their lead grow to a game-high 32 points at the 15:01 mark. From there, Edward Waters went to work, methodically chopping the lead down on the strength of reserve guard Tavares Oliver, who appeared in his first contest of the season after a long wait for clearance from the NCAA. The Morehouse transfer scored 14 points over a 10 minute span to bring the Tigers to within 10 points at the 6:47 mark. Felix Hayes knocked down two critical three-pointers to help the Tigers claw within seven, 78-71, with 5:41 to go.

The Marauders were able to go up by eight points with 2:32 left in regulation, before Oliver and the Tigers went on a 9-2 run to pull to within one point of the lead at 86-85 with :26 remaining. On the ensuing in-bounds play, Hayes was able to step in front of a Marauder pass for a key steal with :13 seconds remaining. After an EWU timeout, the ball went to Oliver for what would have been a go-ahead shot. Unfortunately, Oliver's pull-up jumper went off of the iron and CSU was able to knock down two free throws to deny the Tigers a miraculous come-from-behind victory.

EWU had major struggles, defending the three-point line in the first half as Central State connected on 47% of their shots from the bonus sphere on 9-of-19 shooting. The Tigers had a more concerted effort in the second half, holding the Marauders to just 20% shooting from three. 

Oliver ultimately led all scorers with an amazing 32 points off of the bench on 11-of-24 shooting. Hayes finished one rebound short of a double-double with 24 points, nine rebounds, and three assists. Forward Ca'Darrius Crumb chipped in with 10 points and nine rebounds as well for Edward Waters.

The Tigers will close their three-game SIAC road trip on Monday with a 7:30pm tip-off against Kentucky State in Lexington.

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