Curry Hits Layup at Buzzer for Overtime Win

Thursday, February 25

Omaha, Neb.

7:30 PM

Omaha

113

111

Missouri Southern

Notes

Curry Hits Layup at Buzzer for Overtime Win

Feb 25, 2010 | General, Men's Basketball

By: Omaha Athletics

Box Score

OMAHA, Neb. - #Aaron Terry fed Dion Curry# inside for an easy layup as time expired in overtime to give the Mavericks a 113-111 win over Missouri Southern Thursday night at Sapp Fieldhouse.

The win locked up the No. 3 seed in the MIAA postseason tournament and at least a share of third place in the league. Nebraska-Omaha (19-7, 12-7 MIAA) can clinch third place all alone with a win at Pittsburg State Saturday. Southwest Baptist and Missouri Western are a game back of the Mavs but UNO holds the tie-breaker over both teams with season sweeps.

Curry, playing in his final home game, scored 17 points off the bench with an 8-of-10 performance from the field. #Andrew Bridger#, also wrapping up his home career, set a career high with 16 assists. He added 20 points for his fourth assist/points double-double of the year. Bridger moved into 17th in career scoring at UNO with 1,088 points in his four years.

The two teams combined for 224 points, the highest two-team scoring output in UNO history. The Mavs shot 59 percent from the field while the Lions were 51 percent. Each team also lit up the scoreboard from 3-point range with UNO hitting 14 of 26 tries and MSSU hitting nine of 18.

Along with Curry and Bridger, four other Mavs reached double figures. #Matt Newman# went 7 of 9 from the field for 20 points, #Jeff Martin added 14 points and Eugene Bain# had 12. Newman, Bridger and Martin each hit four 3-pointers.

The game featured 23 lead changes and 20 ties and neither team led by more than seven. A 3-pointer by Bullock in the final minute of the first half gave the Mavs a 52-50 lead at halftime and then a fast-break layup from Bullock early in the second half gave the Mavs a five-point lead, their largest of the night. Bridger's steal and assist set up the basket.

The Lions came back and used a 7-0 run to build a seven-point lead at 70-63 for their largest advantage of the night. That lead held until a 3-pointer from Martin tied the score at 81-81 with 5:41 remaining.

There were five more ties in regulation after that. Bridger hit a 3-pointer with 1:39 to knot the score at 96-96 and then a pair of free throws by Martin gave the Mavs a two-point lead with 50 seconds left. Skyler Bowlin hit a jumper with 34 seconds left to tie the score and then Bullock missed a shot with six seconds left that would have won it for UNO.

The Lions built a five-point lead in the first two minutes of overtime and then they led by three with 1:10 remaining. Newman hit a layup at the one-minute mark and then Bowlin put his team up by two when he made one of two free throws.

Bullock then hit a jumper to tie it and after Newman grabbed a rebound off a missed MSSU shot, Terry found Curry inside for the win, UNO's second straight in overtime.

Bain led the Mavs with eight rebounds but UNO was beaten on the glass, 40-31.

Four Lions scored in double figures. Bowlin led with 27 and Jason Adams had 26.

Bridger finished just one assist short of the UNO single-game record. Paul Potter had 17 against Wayne State (Neb.) in 1976-77.

With the third-place seed in the tournament, the Mavs will play at 8:15 p.m. Friday at Municipal Auditorium against the No. 6 seed. The winner would play Saturday at 8:15 p.m. in the semifinal.