DURHAM, N.H. – Tyrece Gibbs was not going to be denied. He had come too far, and this meant too much.
Plenty was on the line in Sunday’s game between Stony Brook and host New Hampshire. Both teams were playing for the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament, with a possibility that a loss could even send New Hampshire to the No. 6 seed. This was also relatively new ground for both teams, as the Seawolves were closing out their best regular season in Division I and the Wildcats are trying to get back to contention for the first time since the mid-1990s. There was also the reality of Senior Day and all the sentiment it brings, which makes it a challenge for coaches on both sides.
Gibbs is one of two seniors for the Wildcats. He and classmate Eric Gilchrese both have their stories of having to overcome adversity in life, with Gilchrese having it more recently from the passing of his mother during the season. Gibbs has come a long way, especially as a player, but Sunday brought all of those challenges. He had about 20 family members sitting behind the bench, and that had to affect him some as well.
Early on, Gibbs struggled, going just 1-4 from the field in the first half with four turnovers. It wasn’t the kind of day one would have hoped for in his last home game. The second half wasn’t much different for a while, and the Seawolves had a lead for much of it. The Wildcats grabbed a 39-37 lead on a three-pointer by Gilchrese, but the Seawolves responded with six straight as part of a 10-2 run.
That’s when Gibbs did his work.
A three-pointer made it 47-46. After Stony Brook answered with a three, Gibbs hit another to bring it back to a one-point game. Two free throws made it 52-49, setting the stage for a late possession.
Gibbs ran off a screen for a look from just left of the top of the key, but the shot missed as he was still well-covered. The ball went out of bounds off Stony Brook, and the Wildcats had one more chance after Stony Brook called timeout to set up the defense. They ran a similar play, but this time Gibbs had a little opening to get the shot off.
In it went. Overtime was on the way after Gibbs then helped knock the ball away so that Stony Brook couldn’t get off a last-second heave.
With less than a minute to go, Stony Brook had a 57-55 lead. This time, the Wildcats didn’t wait long, as not long after they got it over midcourt, Gibbs put up another three-pointer that dropped, putting them up 58-57. Fittingly, on the next possession he grabbed the rebound of the miss by Stony Brook’s Muhammad El-Amin. He missed the first free throw in a one-and-one, but the Seawolves didn’t get off a shot to win the game.
“I think he wanted to play well,” Gilchrese said of Gibbs. “I think his adrenaline was really flowing, and I saw in his eyes that nobody was going to stop him. That’s why I was out there looking for him, steadily dishing it to him wherever he was at, because I knew he had the hot hand.”
Gibbs finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. The 11 rebounds is a career-high, and though a couple of his final numbers don’t look pretty – he was 7-19 from the field and had six turnovers with two assists – they help tell the story. He tried so hard all game long, and despite the struggles, he never quit. He wasn’t going to be denied, and although he made the big shots and appeared to want them, was quick to say anyone else on the team could have done it.
With this game, Gibbs is now fifth on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,293 points. He could move up to fourth if they win a game or two in the America East Tournament, but he won’t need that to prove anything more.
“I could count on one hand in my 18 years as a Division I head coach how many kids have improved as much as he has,” said Wildcat coach Bill Herrion.
The improvement has certainly been seen. On Sunday, Gibbs wasn’t going to be denied in his last game. He wasn’t going to leave Lundholm Gym with a loss.
