Box Score SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Junior guard Tony Harris bailed out his team
with a last-second, heart-stopping three-pointer, giving
25th-ranked Lake Superior State a do-over during Saturday's NCAA
Midwest Regional quarterfinal men's basketball game against
21st-ranked Findlay.
After missing key free throws down the stretch during
regulation, LSSU (27-5) outlasted the Oilers (24-6) in overtime,
winning 88-83 and avenging an early-season 10-point home loss to
its Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rival. The
fifth-seeded Lakers advanced to the regional semifinals and will
play top seed and defending national champion Drury Sunday at 8:30
p.m. CST.
Drury (26-3) advanced after beating Wisconsin-Parkside, 69-64.
In other quarterfinal games Saturday, it was No. 6 seed Michigan
Tech 75, No. 3 seed Southern Indiana 70; and No. 2 Indianapolis 80,
No. 7 Bellarmine 75.
Harris led all scorers with a career-high 25 points, five
rebounds and three assists. He shot 52.6 percent from the field.
Lakers Derek Billing, Cameron Metz and Alex Williams scored 16
points each. Metz also contributed a team-high eight rebounds.
Jake Heagen led Findlay with 24 points, and GLIAC Player of the
Year Greg Kahlig followed with 22. They were a combined 19-of-24 at
the free-throw line.
With the win, the Lakers matched the program's school record for
single-season victories. LSSU also won 27 games during the 1975-76
season.
Lake Superior State fought back from a 10-point deficit to
within 35-34 at halftime. The Lakers fell behind by eight points
during the first four minutes of the second half, but took a 55-54
lead with 9:49 remaining in the second half after a Devin Daly
layup and Williams three-pointer.
LSSU led 66-61 inside the five-minute mark and had control of
the game until missing a wide-open three-point attempt and three
straight free throws between 2:19 and 00:09. During the final three
seconds of regulation, Harris made a layup, Findlay made 1-of-2
free throws, and Harris canned the game-tying three-pointer.
Metz scored six of LSSU's first eight overtime points, and
Harris had the other two as the Lakers built an 81-78 lead during
the first three minutes. After a Jake Blake steal, Harris made it
84-78 with 58 seconds to go. Kahlig answered with a three-pointer
and cut LSSU's lead in half, but Harris followed with two free
throws with 23 seconds to go.
Billing iced the win with a defensive rebounds and two free
throws with eight seconds left.
LSSU shot 45.1 percent from the field, including 10-of-26 from
three-point range. The Lakers made 14-of-20 free throws and held a
41-38 rebounding edge. Blake and Williams added six rebounds each
before fouling out. Daly also fouled out.
Findlay shot 44.1 percent from the field and was also 10-of-26
from behind the arc. The Oilers were 21-of-31 at the free-throw
line.
Boxscore