St. Louis – Jaeden Smith hit one free throw with 0.6 seconds left in the game as the Maryville men's basketball team edged Drury 67-66. Ari Jackson hit five consecutive 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 19 points to top Saints in double figures. The Saints improve to 8-2 on the season to tie their best start after 10 games in program history.
 
Drury recap
Drury led 64-63 with 1:27 left to play before Dewayne Vass drove the lane and banked in a layup. Following a defensive stand, Kelvin Swims made one free throw with 26 ticks left to build a 66-64 edge but Brock Wakefield tied the game for Drury 66-all with 9.6 seconds remaining. The Saints took a shot with 1.6 seconds to play, missed but retained possession. Maryville inbounded the ball long but Smith grabbed the pass and was fouled at the elbow of the lane. Smith calmly drained the first free throw for the one-point lead, and he intentionally missed the second that forced Drury to go the length of the floor in 0.6 seconds. On the ensuing play, Tutu Chisholm deflected the ball away as the Saints held on for the thrilling victory.
 
Ari Jackson fueled the Saints in the first half when he drained five consecutive 3-pointers. Drury took an early 7-2 lead but consecutive 3-pointers by Jackson and Harrison Vickers put the Saints on top 12-11. Later, the Saints went on a 9-2 burst as Maryville edged ahead 21-15. Drury tied the game at 21-all but Jackson took over. He splashed in three straight 3-pointers to give the Saints a 30-21 lead. Maryville kept its margin and took a 39-32 edge into intermission. The Saints slowly built up a double-digit lead in the second half before Drury rallied to set up the dramatic finish.
 
Vass finished with 15 points, while Swims added 13 and six assists, and Vickers chipped in 11 points. The Saints hit exactly half of their shots from the field (27-of-54) and were 9-of-17 from 3-point range (52. 9 percent).
 
Statistical Leaders
Points: Ari Jackson - 19
Rebounds: JT Morgan and Dewayne Vass - 7
Assists: Kelvin Swims - 7
3-Pointers: Ari Jackson - 5
Steals: six players - 1
Blocked Shots: Tutu Chisholm and Ari Jackson - 1
 
Records
Maryville: 8-2, 3-1 GLVC
Drury: 2-6, 0-3 GLVC
 
What's Next?
The Saints host a non-conference contest as Principia visits for a 7:30 p.m. start Thursday, Dec. 3.