RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Sophomore guard Tanner Kretchman hit a basket at the buzzer to lift the No. 9-ranked Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team to a thrilling 83-81 overtime win over Harding during the GAC/NSIC Crossover in Russellville, Ark.

MSUM is now 3-1 on the year while Harding is 0-1.

The Dragons led by as many as 15 in the first half and trailed by as many as 19 in the second half before mounting a furious comeback to get the game to overtime. Kretchman hit the game-tying three-pointer at the end of regulation and followed with the game-winner minutes later.

Senior forward Isaac Sevlie had 25 points and eight rebounds to lead MSUM. Senior guard Tyler Vaughan had 15 points and a game-high eight assists, while junior guard Aaron Lien had 11 points and five rebounds. Kretchman, junior guard Arroyo Edwards and junior forward Ayob Ayob all contributed with nine points.

MSUM shot 45 percent (27-of-60) for the game, compared to 42.9 percent (30-of-70) for Harding. The Dragons had a 44-35 edge in rebounds.

Trailing 61-42 with 8:38 left, MSUM stormed back into the game with a 20-1 run over the next four minutes to climb within 63-62. Ayob had seven points during that run while Sevlie had six. Edwards and Lien also buried threes to spark the comeback.

The Dragons regained the lead at 68-67 with 1:10 left after Sevlie scored.  Harding led for almost the rest of regulation and held a 73-70 lead in the final seconds.

With six seconds left, Kretchman buried a three to tie the game at 73-73. Sevlie blocked a potential game-winning shot by Harding to send the game to overtime.
The Dragons were down 76-73 early in overtime but scored eight points in a row – keyed by four points from Sevlie and a three by Lien – to take an 81-76 lead with two minutes left.

Harding battled back to tie the game at 81-81 after a John Hudson three-pointer with four seconds left in overtime. Kretchman was the hero for the Dragons, converting the basket as time expired to give MSUM the two-point win.

MSUM opened the game on a 24-9 run over the first 12 minutes. Vaughan was the catalyst early with 10 points while Sevlie had eight. 
The Dragons led 36-31 at halftime, with Vaughan scoring 13 first-half points and Sevlie scoring 12.

The MSUM offense went cold in the first eight minutes of the second half, managing just two points during that span as Harding built a 53-38 lead. The lead grew to 19 before the Dragons mounted their comeback.

MSUM will face Arkansas Tech at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Arkansas Tech rallied from a 13-point second half deficit to beat Northern State, 81-80 on Friday.