DANBURY, Conn. – Ryan Pittman lofted a put-back game winner at the buzzer to lift the Albertus Magnus men's basketball team to an 85-84 win over Bowdoin on Friday evening on the opening night of the Western Connecticut Colonial Classic.

The Falcons (2-1) will square off against WestConn in the championship game of the Colonial Classic on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. The Polar Bears (0-1) will meet Worcester State in the consolation contest at 2:00 p.m.

Game Highlights

• The Falcons held a 51-38 advantage at halftime and led for the majority of the contest. However, the Polar Bears stormed back on the strength of multiple three-point conversions in the second half.
• David Reynolds drained a three-pointer from the top of the key cutting the deficit to 81-80 with 1:20 remaining. Shortly thereafter, senior forward Jack Simonds canned an elbow jumper, giving the Polar Bears their first lead of the game, 82-81, with 34 ticks left on the clock.
• The Falcons retaliated to regain the lead when junior guard Jahmerikah Green-Younger hit a running jumper.
• However, Bowdoin bounced back when sophomore guard Zavier Rucker went coast to coast to seize an 84-83 lead with six seconds left.
• After a timeout, an Albertus player appeared to have a clear lane for a layup but the shot was blocked and deflected off a scrum into the hands of Pittman, who sealed the win with a floater at the buzzer.

By The Numbers

• David Reynolds went 9-17, including 6-10 from three-point range, to end with 26 points on the night for Bowdoin. Jack Simonds finished with 13 points and nine boards for Bowdoin.
• Sam Grad scored 18 big points off the bench for the Polar Bears, who also got double figures from Hugh O'Neil (11) and Zavier Rucker (11 points, six assists).
• Pittman led Albertus Magnus with 18 points, including the game-winning bucket.
• The Falcons held a 43-35 edge in rebounding, including 19 offensive boards to make up for the fact that they shot only 40% from the field compared to 53% for Bowdoin.

Up Next

• The Polar Bears face Worcester State in the consolation game of the tournament at 2:00 p.m. Saturday.