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SAN ANGELO – A desperation heave from nearly 30 feet away by Josh Orta with the shot clock and game clock ticking away the final seconds found the bottom of the net and lifted St. Mary's to a triple overtime win over Angelo State, 103-100, at the Junell Center/Stephens Arena Wednesday night.

Orta scored 19 points and logged 10 assists but it was his only three-pointer, and the Rattlers' second of the contest, that helped St. Mary's (5-4) outlast the Rams (0-4) in a 55-minute marathon game. Orta was guarded closely by ASU's Ivan Gombovic but created just enough space with a step-back crossover and drained the final shot. It was ASU's longest game since a four-overtime win over Tarleton State at the Junell Center on Jan. 18, 2009, and the second consecutive overtime game for the Rams.

“The game was rough,” Angelo State's Richard Thomas said. “I don't want to say it was a lucky shot at the end, but the ball didn't bounce our way. It really shouldn't have come down to the three overtimes though. We were up by 19 points in the first half and were lackadaisical in the second. We didn't have the same intensity in the second half. We played with little emotion until they got back into the game. Once it was a game again we picked up the intensity.”

Three Angelo State players scored more than 20 points in the loss, including LaMarshall Corbett, who pitched in a season-high 31 points. Thomas scored an ASU career-high 28 points, including a three-pointer at the end of the second overtime to extend the game. Ridge McKeither logged his third double-double in four games with 21 points and a game-high 16 rebounds – nine on the offensive end.

Corbett helped the Rams to a quick start in the first half with 21 points in the game's first 20 minutes. ASU's pressure defense created 11 turnovers which led to 15 points off turnovers before the break. St. Mary's scored the first points of the contest but trailed by as many as 19 while playing behind for the rest of the opening period.

Corbett and the Rams went cold in the second half as the team shot just 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from the field and were 0-for-5 from beyond the arc. The Rattlers reversed their fortunes, raising their percentage from 35.5 percent (11-of-31) in the first half to 56 percent (14-of-25) after the break. A big reason for the turnaround was Brad Hubenak, who chipped in 14 of his 18 total points in the second half. Angelo State still led by 15 points more than seven minutes into the second period, but the Rattlers used a 21-6 run over the next 7:36 to tie the game for the first time since it was scoreless. Four more points made it a 25-6 run and gave St. Mary's its second lead of the game.

Angelo State led 76-74 in the waning seconds of regulation but a foul sent Orta to the line, where he hit both free throws and sent the game to extra time.

In the first overtime, Angelo State tried to work the ball inside and outscored the Rattlers 6-4 in the paint. ASU trailed 84-82 with 20 seconds to play but got the ball to Corbett who laid it in and was fouled with seven seconds on the clock. Corbett, a 90 percent free-throw shooter last season, missed from the line and a desperation three by DJ Castro missed.

St. Mary's led by as many as five points with a minute to go in the second overtime, causing many fans to throw on their jackets and check for their keys. Two free throws by ASU's Steven Moore and an ill-timed turnover by Lamb Autrey set Thomas up to be the second overtime savior for the Rams as he drilled a triple from the right wing on a pass from Gombovic. Gombovic then blocked a close jumper attempt by Autrey on the other end to keep the score tied at 94-94.

It appeared as though the game was headed to another extra period as the teams battled to the game's 11th, 12th, and 13th ties in the third overtime before Orta's toss sank the Rams. ASU played the final two overtime period without their leading scorer, Corbett, who sustained a shoulder injury.

Kevin Kotzur led the Rattlers with 21 points and was joined in double figures by Orta (19), Hubenak (18), Autrey (14) and Ray Marshall (10). St. Mary's starters Gordon Ward and Jeff Campbell were each limited to less than 10 minutes in the contest due to foul trouble.

Angelo State returns to Lone Star Conference crossover play with a trip to Oklahoma this weekend. The Rams and Rambelles will take on Central Oklahoma (Dec. 11) then Northeastern State (Dec. 13), before coming back to the Junell Center for a double header against Southeastern Oklahoma (Dec. 18).

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