#21 Oilers See Season End in OT Against #25 Lakers
The 21st-ranked Oilers men's basketball team dropped an 88-83 decision in overtime to 25th-ranked Lake Superior State University in the first round of the 2014 NCAA Division II National Tournament in Springfield, Mo. On Saturday, March 16.
The Oilers found themselves down by five points at 66-61 with under five minutes to play before junior forward Jake Heagen split a pair of free throws. Sophomore guard Alphonso Baity then connected on a short jumper in the paint to make the score 66-64 with only 3:11 left.
After a key block by sophomore guard Dylan Kaufman, Heagen went back to the line and made two free throws to tie the game at 66-66 with just over two minutes remaining in the game.
The Oilers, needing a stop on the defensive end, got one and set up their offense with under a minute left. Senior forward Greg Kahlig then missed a three point try, but senior forward Mark Frilling picked up the offensive rebound and scored to give the Oilers a 68-66 advantage with only 37 ticks to play.
Another stop by the Oilers defense led to two free throw attempts by Heagen, but he split the pair. The Lakers Tony Harris then drove through the Oilers defense for a layup before Heagen split another pair of attempts from the charity stripe.
Leading 70-68 with only 16 seconds remaining, the Oilers got a big stop on the defensive end and two free throws from Heagen. Another layup by Harris cut the lead to two at 72-70 with only three seconds left and a foul sent Baity to the line for two attempts. Baity hit only one of the shots and Harris hit an off-balance triple at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
In overtime, the Lakers took a four point lead at 82-78 with just under two minutes remaining before Kahlig splashed home a three. The Lakers then hit their free throws down the stretch to seal the win as the Oilers end the 2013-14 season with a 24-6 record.
The Oilers shot 44.1 percent (26-of-59) from the floor and canned 10-of-26 (38.5%) shot attempts from behind the three point line. The Lakers in comparison hit 45.1 percent (32-of-71) of their field goal attempts and also made 10-of-26 tries from three point range.
Heagen led the team with 24 points and six rebounds while Kahlig ended his career with 22 points and four boards. He concludes his stellar career with a total of 1,877 points, the fourth highest total in school history.
Kaufman finished with 12 points and six rebounds while Baity chipped in nine points and five boards.
Harris led the Lakers with 25 points while Derek Billing, Cameron Metz and Alex Williams each contributed 16 points apiece.