CHICAGO, Ill. – The Harper College men's basketball team trailed Malcolm X College for the entirety of the first half and for the first 11:49 of the second half until Abdul Mushtaq (Wheeling, Ill./Wheeling) buried a 3-pointer to tie the game at 52-52 with 8:11 to play.

In a back-and-forth final eight minutes, it was a key offensive rebound by Labrian Whittle and layup by Kurtis Ellis with 10 seconds to play that gave the Malcolm X Hawks a 68-66 victory over the Harper Hawks.

After Mushtaq's triple tied the score, sophomore point guard Marcus Gatlin (Chicago, Ill./Curie) gave the Hawks (4-6) their first lead of the game with a layup with 4:30 to play to make it 60-58. Gatlin's jumper pushed the lead to 62-59, but Whittle's three-point play tied the score again at 62-62. Gatlin (15 points) once again knocked down a clutch shot, drilling a 3-pointer to give the visitors a 65-62 edge with just over two minutes to play.

Malcolm X's (3-7) Lafayette James-Core scored on a layup, and Harper's Maurice Brown (/Richards Career Academy) split a pair of free throws. On the next possession, Giovanni Offard scored on a layup to tie the game at 66-66 with 1:05 left.

The Hawks missed a layup and a pair of free throws in the final minute, opening the door for Ellis' layup and potential 3-point play with 10 seconds to play. Ellis (13 points) missed the free throw but got his own offensive rebound and was fouled. However, he gave Harper life as he missed a pair of free throws.

Harper called timeout with six seconds left to draw up a play for a final shot. Gatlin's attempt to tie the game missed at the buzzer.

Connor Elzerman (Oxford, Mich./Oxford) led Harper with a game-high 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Burnett added 14 points (6-of-12 shooting), eight rebounds, and six assists. Brown had nine points and 12 rebounds. The Hawks shot a respectable 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from the field but were done in by poor free throw shooting (9-of-24, 37.5 percent).

The Malcolm X Hawks were led by Whittle's 17 points. James-Core and Elliot Pleasant scored 15 points apiece. The team shot 40 percent (26-of-65) from the floor and 57.9 percent (11-of-19) from the foul line.

Harper looks to bounce back on Tuesday, Dec. 8 in a home contest against Oakton Community College. Tipoff is slated for 7 PM inside the Wellness & Sports Center.