Box Score
MARSHALL, Minn. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team battled back from a 20-point deficit to take a four-point lead late, but Southwest Minnesota State's Vinard Birch scored at the buzzer to spoil the MSUM comeback in a 70-68 win over the Dragons in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Saturday night in Marshall, Minn.
 
MSUM fell to 9-3 overall and 5-3 in the NSIC with the loss, while SMSU improved to 9-5 overall and 6-2 in the league.
 
It is the second time in three games the Dragons have lost a heartbreaker on the buzzer, with both coming on the road.
 
Junior guard Jordan Riewer and junior forward Urbane Bingham each paced MSUM with 17 points. Senior guard Tarell Clark had 10 points and nine rebounds. Riewer and sophomore guard Ngijol Songolo had three assists each, while junior guard Prescott Williams had three steals.
 
The Dragons shot 38.1 percent (24-of-63) for the contest, compared to 45.7 percent (21-of-46) for SMSU. The Mustangs had a big edge at the foul line, however, hitting 83.3 percent (25-for-30), compared to 55 percent (11-of-20) for MSUM. SMSU also had a 38-33 edge in rebounds.
 
MSUM, which trailed by 20 late in the first half, battled back to tie the game at 50-50 with 10 minutes left and took its first lead of the night (52-51) as Riewer converted a layup with 9:05 left.
 
The Mustangs went up by five again at 59-54 with 6:29 left before  the Dragons responded with an 11-2 run over the next five minutes to take a 65-61 lead, their largest of the night. Riewer hit a three-pointer with 1:41 left to give MSUM a 65-61 lead.
 
SMSU scored the next five points to take a 66-65 lead, but a Clark layup put MSUM up 67-66 with 37 seconds left. Birch hit a layup with 31 seconds left to help the Mustangs regain the lead at 68-67.
 
Clark was fouled with five seconds left and hit 1-of-2 free throws to tie the game at 68-68.  On the ensuing possession, Birch took the ball to the basket and scored with .1 seconds left to leave the Dragons with a heartbreaking two-point loss at 70-68.
 
MSUM trailed 39-19 with 1:54 left in the first half but started its comeback with a 7-0 spurt to close the half. Senior forward Taylor Filipek scored four points during that run while sophomore guard Tyler Vaughan drained a three. That spurt helped MSUM climb within 39-26 at halftime.
 
The Dragons were down 15 early in the second half but went on a 26-9 run over the next 10 minutes to take the lead at 52-51. From there, the game was close with neither team leading by more than five points.
 
Vaughan added nine points off the bench for MSUM.
 
MSUM is back in action at home on Friday against Concordia-St. Paul. Game time is 8 p.m. at Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse in Moorhead, Minn.
 
Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: Tonight, coupled with last night's 92-70 loss at the University of Sioux Falls, marked the first time the Dragons lost a game by exactly 22 points, then played the next night since losing 104-82 to the University of Nebraska-Kearney on Nov. 27, 1998, followed up by a 92-79 double overtime loss to Michigan Tech.