Jeremy Zalacca - Director of Athletic Communications

BELMONT, N.C. - Belmont Abbey's Ray Chen sank three free throws with 0.5 seconds left in the game to send the Crusaders (7-14, 4-10 CC) to a 70-68 victory over the Pfeiffer men's basketball team (8-12, 4-8). The loss was Pfeiffer's fourth in a row and one that was half a second from being in the win column.

De'Vonte Jenkins was credited with a basket off a Belmont Abbey goaltend with 13 seconds left to give Pfeiffer a 68-67 lead. The Falcons were one stop away from coming away victorious and forced Chen into a tough jump shot. However, the Crusaders came away with an offensive rebound and on Chen's ensuing three point attempt, Josh Calhoun was whistled for a foul that sent the senior to the line for three shots. Needing just two for the win, Chen sank all three and finished the contest with a game-high 21 points.

The duo of Calhoun and Andrew Guerrero led the Falcons with 15 points each, although the latter was forced out of the game in the second half due to an injury. Playing without their leading scorer, Pfeiffer battled but came up just short. Jenkins finished the game with 14 points, four rebounds and four steals and shot over 50 percent from the field for the ninth straight game.

For the game, Pfeiffer shot 57.8 percent from the field, which is their second highest percentage of the season. The Falcons went 7-for-17 from long range (41.2 percent) but misfired on 10 of their 19 free throws on the night.

Defensively, Pfeiffer held Belmont Abbey to 36.5 percent shooting but the Crusaders had a big advantage at the foul line, converting 21 attempts to Pfeiffer's nine.

Pfeiffer dominated the lane, outscoring the Crusaders 38-6 in the paint. The shorthanded Falcons were also playing without second leading scorer Mike Smith on the evening and the loss of Guerrero depleted the backcourt depth even further.

Pfeiffer looks to end their four game slide on Saturday afternoon as they travel to North Greenville for a 4 p.m. contest. In their earlier matchup, Pfeiffer defeated the Crusaders 69-58 and held NGU to just 31.1 percent shooting from the field.