LACEY, Wash. — Jajuan Tot's half-court buzzer beater lifted Montana State Billings to a 79-78 victory over Western Washington on Thursday in the quarterfinal round of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament.
A baseline shot by Tijan Saine gave WWU a 78-76 lead with two seconds left. MSUB's Cooper Dewitt then inbounded the ball along the right sideline to Tot, whose running heave from behind the timeline banked off the glass and in.
The basket stood following an official review, and the fifth-seeded Yellowjackets (21-11) advanced into the semifinal round on Friday against No. 1 Central Washington at 3:15 p.m. Mountain time.
“Two seconds on the clock — we practice it all the time in shoot around. I just got it up there,” Tot stated in a GNAC press release. “It felt good coming off my hand.”
The Jackets took a three-point lead, 59-56, at the 9:47 mark of the second half after a pull-up shot by Jalen Tot. But that's when WWU embarked on a 17-0 scoring run highlighted by two driving baskets by Saine and a 3-pointer by Aidan Rice.
After a Will Wilson layup at the 4:37 mark, the Vikings had built a 73-59 lead. MSUB rallied back, pulling within 76-75 on a contested layup by Jalen Tot with 20 seconds left. After a WWU turnover, Kael Robinson tied the game by making 1 of 2 free throws with 12 seconds on the clock.
That set up the wild finish, as Saine's jumper put the Vikings back in front before Tot's prayer was answered.
Jalen Tot led the Jackets with 24 points, including five 3-pointers, with six rebounds and six assists. Brother Jajuan Tot had eight points, none bigger than the three that came at the buzzer. Robinson added 20 points while Brendon Johnson finished with 16 points and nine rebounds for MSUB.
