Jack Macdonald drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer Saturday to lift the UAA men’s basketball team to an 88-86 overtime victory over Western Oregon.
The Seawolves scored the game’s final nine points to move to 8-2 overall and 2-0 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
An Alaska Airlines Center crowd of 841 saw the Seawolves charge back from a seven-point deficit in the extra period.
Western Oregon buried three triples on its way to a big 86-79 lead, but UAA held the Wolves scoreless for the final 2 minutes, 19 seconds of the game. The Seawolves reeled off nine points during that span, with Macdonald’s buzzer-beater coming on an assist from Tyrus Hosley.
Oggie Pantovic racked up the first double-double of the season for UAA with 20 points and 13 rebounds. More critically, his layup with 11 seconds left in regulation tied the game 75-75 and forced overtime.
“That was an amazing college basketball game, and I’m proud of every single one of our guys for helping us earn that win,” UAA coach Rusty Osborne said in a release from the school. “We faced our biggest deficit of the night in overtime but we didn’t hang our heads and made the big plays at the end."
Niko Bevens poured in 19 points and came up with a big steal during overtime. He drew a foul on the play and sank both free throws to make it a one-possession game, 86-83.
Other points in UAA’s game-winning run included a jumper from a jumper from Tobin Karlberg that started it all and a layup by Pantovic.
During its game-ending scoreless streak, Western Oregon (5-2 overall, 0-2 GNAC) missed two shots and lost the ball to Bevens.
Cameron Cranston and Dalvin Brushier each tossed in 21 points for the Wolves, who shot 42.7 percent (32 of 75) from the field.
Hosley added 16 points and six assists, including his pass that found Macdonald in the corner for the winning basket. Tyler Brimhall had 11 for the Seawolves, who also got a strong game from DeAndre Osuigwe, who finished with 12 rebounds, six points and six assists. Macdonald totaled seven points and had seven assists against one turnovers in 33 minutes of playing time.
The Seawolves shot 44.7 percent (34 of 76) but struggled from 3-point range, going 14 of 40. Pantovic and Osuigwe helped them win the rebounding battle, 45-40.