Devon Baker's layup gave Northwestern State a 62-61 lead with 2:43 to play and the two teams traded a pair of free throws in the final two minutes as the Demons handed Sam Houston a 64-63 men's basketball loss Wednesday night.
Sam Houston missed five shots in the final two minutes including a 10 foot jumper by Josten Crow with 11 seconds remaining. Crow drove inside and let a shot sail toward the basket as the crowd held its breath.
But in one of the weirdest finishes ever at Johnson Coliseum, Crow's shot got stuck between the rim and the backboard and Northwestern State was able to escape with a 64-63 victory on Wednesday night.
It was a tough loss for the Bearkats, who are in a tight battle for one of the eight spots in the Southland Conference tournament with just three games remaining. The ball just bounced the Demons way as Sam Houston dropped to 7-6 in SLC play and 14-12 on the season.
"You have to give them credit. They are very talented, and they did what they needed to win tonight," SHSU head coach Jason Hooten said. "We were down late and fought back. We did a good job, but in a game like this - you would really like to have a lead - you wouldn't like anything more than to have the ball with the last shot in the game.
"It just didn't happen for us tonight."
The Bearkats trailed by as many as six points at 60-54 with 4:45 to go in the game when Northwestern State's Shamir Davis buried a 3-pointer.
But Sam Houston came storming back. Senior Gilberto Clavell, who scored a game-high 21 points, knocked down a free throw and seniors Lance Pevehouse and Crow each drilled back-to-back treys to put the Kats on top 61-60.
The Demons (8-5, 16-12) got a layup from Devon Baker and a pair of free throws from Davis to take a 64-61 lead with just over two minutes to go.
Clavell hit two free throws to make it a one-point game, and after Northwestern State failed to convert a double-bonus opportunity, Sam Houston got the ball back with 18 seconds left.
But Crow's shot resulted in a jump ball, giving it back to the Demons. Clavell picked off the inbound pass for one final game-winning attempt. His shot from midcourt sailed over the goal to seal the win for the Demons.
"There were a couple of options on that play," said Crow, who scored 18 points. "There were some ball screens and I saw an opening and took it. It got stuck on the rim. You don't see it a lot, but it happens. We just have to bounce back on Saturday."
The Bearkats led by 10 in the first half. Junior Drae Murray, who scored nine points and dished out eight assists, connected on four straight free throws and found Clavell under the basket for a layup to make it 25-15.
Northwestern State was able to pull within one twice and finally took the lead to begin the second half on baskets by William Mosley, who had four blocks, and Baker.
The game was back and forth from there. Sam Houston just had trouble stopping the Demons. Northwestern State shot 52 percent from the floor and outscored the Bearkats 26-24 in the paint.
"They knocked down shots and scored a lot of points in the paint," Clavell said. "They knocked down some tough shots too. We have to play better defense."
Sam Houston led 31-28 at the break despite shooting only 33 percent from the floor, while allowing Northwestern State to hit 48 percent of its shots.
The Kats were only 1 for 6 from 3-point range in the first half, but picked things up in the final 20 minutes, connecting on four 3s and shooting 46 percent from the field.
Sam Houston has to bounce back with a road trip to Lamar on Saturday, hoping to stay in the running for the Southland Conference tournament.
"We have to play better," Hooten added. "We have to execute a little better and play better defense. We have to make some shots and make some plays. I thought we made a couple of big shots, but we were 5 of 19 from 3."
