LACEY, Wash. — Montana State Billings erased an 11-point deficit with under two minutes remaining Friday but ultimately lost 101-100 in double overtime to Central Washington in the semifinal round of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament at Marcus Pavilion.
Down 87-76 with 1:35 left in regulation, the Yellowjackets forced overtime thanks to a 12-1 run. Kael Robinson's two free throws with 2.7 seconds left forced the extra period.
The game went to a second overtime tied 94-94 after Robinson's layup with two seconds left, but that's where MSUB's magic ran out.
A fade-away shot by Brendon Johnson pulled the Jackets within 99-98 with nine seconds left, but after Jordan Clark made two foul shots for CWU all MSUB could get on its final possession was a put-back from Robinson before the final second ticked away.
No. 5 seed MSU Billings (21-12) was eliminated from the tournament while No. 1 Central Washington advanced to face No. 3 seed Seattle Pacific in Saturday's championship game.
"Another unbelievable effort from our guys, our offensive execution was good, but we found ourselves on our heels too much defensively," Jackets coach Luke Fennelly stated in a press release. "Regardless, the guys stuck it out together and found a way to make it a game which is all you can ask for this late in the season. The ball didn’t bounce our way but that happens."
The Yellowjackets made it to the semis thanks to a buzzer-beating half-court heave by Jajuan Tot on Thursday in a 79-78 win over Western Washington in the quarterfinals.
Against CWU on Friday, Robinson finished with 30 points and nine rebounds while Livingston's Johnson added 20. Cooper Dewitt also had 20 points for the Jackets, who shot 58.2% from the floor and made 11 3-pointers. Jalen Tot had 18 points before fouling out in overtime.
Central Washington's Mitch Brizee finished with 25 points and 17 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass.
The Jackets will now wait to see if they receive a bid to the NCAA Division II West Regional.
