Wild Weekend: Lights beat Tech, LC State in thrilling comebacks at the Armory Gym

The Montana State University-Northern men’s basketball team is no stranger to comebacks this season. The Lights are no strangers to overtime games and last-second wins, either.

But this weekend in Havre the Lights had all those things rolled into one, and then some.

Trailing the Montana Tech Orediggers 67-62 with just :11 left in Friday night’s Frontier Conference game at the Armory Gymnasium, the No. 23 Lights looked like they were about to be dealt a frustrating home loss. Instead, Northern pulled a Whodini act of epic proportions, coming back to beat the Orediggers 77-72 in overtime. MSU-N junior Corbin Pearson had to make a pair of knee-knocking free throws with less than a second remaining in regulation just to get the Lights into OT. Friday’s win was a prelude to even more drama as the Lights added a comeback win over Lewis-Clark State on Saturday night.

“We feel like, as long as there’s time left on the clock, we have a chance,” MSU-N senior Roshawn West said. “You have to believe that. You can’t quit, and we didn’t quit. We just had to believe we could find a way to come back and win.”

Things looked really bleak for the Lights as far back as the 3:25 mark when Tech led by seven points, and seemed like it had no trouble scoring at will on the MSU-N defense. From there however, crazy things started to happen.

Allan Brown and Alfie Miller would both drop in 3-pointers to slim Tech’s lead to 65-62 with 1:10 to play and, at that point, the Lights appeared to be in good shape again. And with Tech still up by three with :22 left, Zach Peevey’s missed free throw gave the Lights a chance to tie or at least get closer. But they missed a layup in the paint. Northern would get another crack just seconds later when Tech missed another free throw, but West was called for traveling driving to the basket, and the Lights were forced to put Tech’s Brandon Rydberg on the foul line with :14 left in the game. Rydberg made both foul shots and put the Diggers’ ahead 67-62, and the game seemed to be over. On Northern’s ensuing possession, though, Miller made a really difficult step-to-the-side three which again cut the gap to two points, and the Lights fouled Tech star Bryan Bock with :05 left.

Bock, who scored a game-high 27 points and was unstoppable all night long, had a chance to finally put the game on ice, while Northern was without any timeouts. But, fate intervened again. Bock missed the front end of the one-and-one, and more craziness ensued. MSU-N yanked down the rebound, threw the ball up court to West, then, in an instant, Pearson had the ball back in his hands. With time about to expire, Pearson threw up a shot from just beyond the 3-point-line, and though it was well off the mark, a whistle blew and, miraculously, Northern was still alive. With three-tenths of a second left, Pearson would go to the foul line for three free throws and a chance to give Northern the win. He missed the first, but made the second. Tech called time out to ice him, but the third one rattled in, and the Lights found themselves still in the game, tied at 67-67 at the end of regulation.

“When knew we had time if they missed,” said Pearson, who made 9-of-11 free throws said. “We knew we had to get it up the floor quick, and somehow it came to me. I knew I just had to shoot it right away and someone hit my arm.”

While Pearson admitted they may not have been the scariest foul shots of his life, the three he had to shoot Friday night were right up there.

“I had two free throws to win the state championship game my senior year of high school,” the Big Sandy prep star noted. “Those were pretty intense. But these ones were right up there, too.”

But as thrilling as the final seconds of regulation were for the Lights, they still had work to do. Northern had to go to two overtimes to beat Tech last month in Butte, and Friday night’s game had the same feel. Except, the Lights buckled down in OT and wrestled control away early.

Pearson made four more free throws in the extra frame, while Miller knocked in his fourth bomb to put MSU-N up 72-67. But Tech had one last gasp left. Despite missing two more free throws, which were so costly to the Diggers all night, they held the Lights scoreless in the final two minutes of OT, and when Antonio Snow made a driving layup with :55 left, the Diggers were back within two at 74-72. The next Northern possession wasn’t going well, either, and for a second, it looked like Tech was going to have a chance to send the game to a second OT. But with the shot clock at one second, West had the ball at the top of the key, and he drained a perfect trey with :24 left, finally icing the game for good and giving Northern an improbable victory.

“First, I have to give all the credit to my team on that one,” West said. “They made great passes. Jesse Vaughan is a great passer, and he found me in perfect rhythm. From there, I just made sure I was ready. I’ve been working hard on my shot. It’s all about getting reps in practice, and it paid off for me tonight.”

“Give Tech all the credit in the world,” added MSU-N head coach Shawn Huse. “They were nearly unstoppable in the second half. They shot it so well, and we couldn’t stop them. I thought we played pretty well, too, but they played great in the second half, and it just felt like we couldn’t get stops.

“They (Tech) had us, let’s face it,” he continued. “But give our guys credit for digging deep and not giving up. I thought we finally started playing like we’re capable of in overtime. I thought we played great Northern basketball in the first half and in overtime, while Tech played as well in the second half as anybody we’ve played all season. Just like the first time we played them, it’s really too bad someone had to lose because it was a great Frontier Conference basketball game.”

The game was indeed a great one. After spotting Tech a 7-2 lead at the onset, the Lights caught fire from three. Pearson hit a big one early to get the Lights going, then Brown nailed back-to-back triples to put MSU-N in front 22-19. West would add a late three, while Will Perry made back-to-back buckets in the paint to give Northern a 36-29 lead at the half.

But Bock and the Orediggers showed no signs of fading away. Tech shot a scorching 63 percent in the second half, made three treys, and when Bock hit his second bomb of the night, the Diggers’ were in front 54-52. Tech took the lead again when Trent Thompson buried a three of his own with 4:40 left, and that set the stage for Northern’s miracle finish.

“They (Orediggers) came in here ready for us,” Huse said. “They remembered the tough loss against us at their place and they played like they really wanted this one. You have to give Tech a ton of credit. They played a great game.

“For us, this win was about guts and heart and not giving up,” he continued. “Alfie hit a really difficult three to keep us in it, Allan Brown made big threes and Roshawn’s three in overtime was huge. Of course, Corbin’s two free throws were huge too. But really, we won this game because of heart and character and the team fighting to the very end. It’s that simple.”

The Lights made 13 threes on the night, which certainly helped. Miller hit four of them, and scored 15 points, while Brown had four and 14 points. West also nailed four bombs and scored 13. Pearson finished the game with 16 points. Perry led the Lights with five rebounds, while Bock’s game-high 27 points came on 10-of-16 shooting. Tech only missed six free throws and shot a sizzling 60 percent from the floor for the game. But five missed foul shots came in the final seconds of the second half or in overtime, and that proved to be costly.

But missed free throws were only part of Friday night’s story. The Lights did not give up. They took advantage of one last opportunity to pull out a win. Northern’s veteran and resilient bunch, which has now won three OT games in league play, made it happen.

“It’s unbelievable,” Pearson said. “This game kind of sums up our season. It’s been a grind. This league is so tough, and for us, these games have been a grind. And that’s what we did tonight. We just kept after it, kept grinding, until we finally found a way to get it done.”

“This is a big win,” West added. “It shows how tough and resilient this team is. This goes back to how hard we worked in the offseason and in practice at the start of the season. It’s moments like this that you work so hard for as a team, and that work paid off tonight.”

Another comeback

As much drama as there was in Friday night’s game, the Lights thrilled fans in much the same fashion in Saturday night’s 88-84 win over LC State in the Armory Gymnasium.

Northern beat the Warriors seven days earlier in Lewiston, Idaho, but LC State stormed into the Armory and took a commanding 42-37 halftime lead. Things got even worse for the Lights early in the second as LCSC seemed unstoppable. Behind play after play from Brady Bagby and E.J. Farris, the Warriors went on runs of 11-0 and 8-0 and were in front of the Lights 60-43 with 13:51 left in the contest.

But just like Friday night, the 17-point deficit wasn’t going to overwhelm a veteran Northern team. Jesse Vaughan scored four quick points, and Alfie Miller started what would become a 16-2 run with his seventh 3-pointer of the night. Mike LaValley, who had an impactful game off the bench, hit back-to-back driving layups along the baseline, and Roshawn West capped the run in front of a frenzied Northern crowd with a scooping layup at the 8:12 mark.

In less than five minutes, the Lights had gone from 17 down to up 66-65.

“At that point, when we were down 17, I think we just looked at each other and realized we had a lot of time,” said MSU-N senior Allan Brown, who hit some big buckets of his own. “We realized we’ve worked too hard to go down like this at home. We worked too hard to let that happen. And so we looked at each other and said we have to start it on defense. Everybody really got low and got after it on defense, and we starting getting stops and rebounds. That was really big.”

But the comeback wasn’t quite complete. LC quickly regained the lead, and after a technical foul on the Northern bench, the Warriors found themselves back in control, leading 71-66 with 7:50 left. But again, there was plenty of time for another Northern push, and that’s exactly what the Lights did. After a parade of free throws, Corbin Pearson, who missed much of the first half with an injury, put back his own miss at close range as Northern retook the lead 75-72. This time, however, the Lights never let it go. Brown nailed a clutch triple with 3:45 left and LaValley, Pearson and Will Perry all made key shots and free throws in the final minute to offset one last gasp by the Warriors.

“About midway through the second half, I told the guys, one of two things is going to happen,” MSU-N head coach Shawn Huse said. “I told them, either we were going to start playing our brand of basketball and get back in this game, or they (Warriors) were going to steamroll us right out of our own gym. I told them it was up to them what happens. So give our guys all the credit in the world, because from that moment on, they took control of this game and never looked back. They really rallied around each other, they starting playing great Northern basketball on both ends of the floor. After that, I didn’t have to say much. It was pretty special to watch, and I’m really proud of them for finding a way to win another very tough Frontier Conference game.”

The Lights did indeed dig deep, because the Warriors were ready from the tip. Miller banged in six trey’s in the first half, but LCSC had the upper hand most of the first 20 minutes as the Warriors went on two different 7-0 runs on their way to 42 points, 51 percent shooting and a 7-point halftime edge.

“LC played great,” Huse said. “They were difficult to guard, they were very physical, and I thought they really got after us defensively, especially in the first half. They came in here ready to go, and they played a great basketball game tonight.”

The Warriors did play great, as Farris scored 23 points, Bagby added 16 and Robert Ellis and Jacob Champoux each scored 12. But when the Lights needed it most, players, the whole team, the crowd, all stepped up, time and time again.

Miller finished with 26 points and eight 3-pointers, a new career high. Perry had his strongest offensive game since returning from a knee injury as he scored 14 points while grabbing nine rebounds. Pearson added 12 points and seven boards, while Vaughan chipped in with 10, and Brown, LaValley and West each scored eight.

“Again, give all our guys credit for showing real heart and guts,” Huse said. “We had a lot of guys step up big. Mike LaValley probably played his best game in a Lights’ uniform. Given the ramifications, intensity and importance of the game, he stepped up and played like a clutch veteran when we needed it most. I thought Damian Robinson also gave us great minutes. All of our guys did. It was just another really gutty performance. I also thought our assistant coaches did a great job tonight, keeping the guys up and helping them through the tough stretches.”

And with two huge home wins, the Lights are now 9-3 in the Frontier and a stellar 21-5 overall. MSU-N remains tied with Rocky Mountain College for first in the conference standings with two more brutal games looming this week, the Lights trip to UM-Western Thursday night and Westminster Saturday night.

But before looking ahead to those tough opponents, Brown, a senior leader, was just proud of his team for the great weekend in the Armory.

“It was crazy,” he said. “We just had this feeling that we weren’t gonna’ lose this game. The whole team really stepped up. The crowd really helped us. Once we started to chip away at the lead, it just got louder and louder, and we needed their energy tonight. It’s just a great felling to come back and win this game.”

Lights are 9-3 in Frontier, 21-5 overall; Next Up: at UM-Western Thursday

Lights 77, Montana Tech 72 OT

MT – Adam Greger 3-4 1-1 7, Bryan Bock 10-16 5-6 27, Antonio Snow 5-11 0-1 10, Brandon Rydberg 1-2 2-2 5, Marcus Payne 1-1 1-2 3, Travis Peevey 2-4 2-4 6, Keegan McCarthy 1-2 1-2 3, Trent Thompson 5-7 0-0 11. Totals: 29-48 12-18 72.

MSU-N – Corbin Pearson 3-9 9-11 16, Jesse Vaughan 1-3 1-2 3, Roshawn West 4-9 1-2 13, Allan Brown 5-10 0-1 14, Alfie Miller 5-8 1-2 15, Nicholas Blount 0-0 0-0 0, Gabe Finley 2-2 0-1 4, Mike LaValley 2-3 0-0 4, Will Perry 4-6 0-1 8. Totals: 26-50 12-20 77.

Halftime: Northern 36-31. 3-pointers: MSU-N 13-24 (Pearson 1, West 4, Brown 4, Miller 4), MT 4-11 (Bock 2, Rydberg 1, Peevey 1, Thompson 1). Rebounds: MSU-N 23 (Perry 5), MT 26 (Bock 6); Fouls: MSU-N 17, MT 16; Fouled out: Perry.

Lights 88, LC State 84

LCSC – Jamaal Thomas 2-8 1-2 5, Robert Ellis 4-9 3-4 13, Jacob Champoux 3-3 6-6 12, E.J. Farris 6-13 10-11 23, Brady Bagby 5-9 4-6 16, Trey Sobotta 1-3 0-0 2, Jon Humphrie 2-3 1-1 6, Tommy Sperry 1-4 0-0 2, Joseph Moquino 1-1 0-0 3, Gavin Kauffman 0-1 0-0 0, Ryan Page 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 26-57 25-33 84.

MSU-N – Corbin Pearson 5-8 2-2 12, Jesse Vaughan 3-8 4-6 10, Roshawn West 2-5 4-4 8, Allan Brown 1-3 5-6 8, Alfie Miller 9-11 0-0 26, Nicholas Blount 0-1 0-0 0, Gabe Finley 0-2 0-0 0, Mike LaValley 3-5 2-2 8, Damian Robinson 1-1 0-0 2, Will Perry 5-7 3-6 14. Totals: 29-51 20-28 88.

Halftime: LC State 42-37. 3-pointers MSU-N 10-21 (Miller 8, Brown 2), LCSC 7-13 (Ellis 2, Farris 1, Bagby 2, Humphrie 1, Moquino 1); Rebounds: MSU-N 35 (Perry 9, Pearson 7), LCSC 28 (Bagby 5); Fouls: MSU-N 22, LCSC 21; Fouled out: None. Technicals: MSU-N Coach, 7:44 2nd half.