Senior guard Tom Norton connected on his ninth three-pointer of the night with seven seconds to play, and a last second Neb.-Kearney jumper hit iron twice and fell off, as the Truman men’s basketball team picked up a hard-fought 80-79 home win on Thursday night.
Norton, who came up one shy of tying the program’s all-time single-game high, capitalized on a pair of misses at the line by UNK’s Taylor Shipley with 13 seconds to play and found pay-dirt on a wing triple off a feed from freshman Cory Myers
The Lopers (5-12, 2-7 MIAA) had one last look, but Mike Dentlinger’s shot rimmed off as time expired to give Truman the one-point win.
The Bulldogs (7-10, 4-5 MIAA) led for the majority of the game but found themselves down 79-74 with 28 seconds to play.
Junior forward Mike Carlson who posted a 22-point, 10-rebound, six-block, four-assist and four-steal night of his own, finished a layup and was fouled with 15 seconds on the clock.
After hitting the ensuing free throw to cut the Loper lead to 79-77, a quick foul sent UNK’s Shipley to the line for two shots.
The junior guard then missed both, leading to Norton’s fireworks in the final seconds and a key Bulldog conference win.
On the night, the Bulldogs shot 47% (27-of-57) from the floor, including 43% (15-of-35) from three-point range.
The 15 triples also came up one short of the school record, as Norton drained nine and junior guard Isaac Gardner hit four off the bench to pace the purple and white. Norton’s 27 tied for the team’s season-high, as he hit 9-of-18 three-point attempts on the evening, setting a new personal-best from beyond the arc.
Carlson’s 22 points and 10 rebounds marked his second double-double of the year, while Gardner chipped in a dozen points off the bench.
Sophomore forward Tyler Anderson finished with nine points and three offensive rebounds, with Cory Myers adding five points and a game-high eight assists.
UNK put four players in double-figures offensively, led by Jon Henderson’s 17. Tyler Shields finished just short of a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.
The Bulldogs close a three-game homestand on Saturday afternoon by hosting Fort Hays (Kan.) State at 3:00 pm.
The Tigers are 10-6 overall (4-4 MIAA) on the year after a 69-58 road loss at Lindenwood (Mo.) on Thursday night.
Courtesy Truman State University
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