SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A shot from
Lorenzo McGhee found all net as time expired to lift MSU Moorhead over Bemidji State in the NSIC Tournament semifinals. The basket put the Dragons in front 78-77 and placed them in tomorrow night's NSIC Tournament championship for the second straight season.
"I'm not going to stop shooting," McGhee said with a smirk post game when asked about having the ball in his hands with the game on the line.
The Dragons and Beavers would trade punches back and forth through the first five minutes with both teams shooting 50 percent or better in that stretch.
Jacob Beeninga would give MSUM some momentum early with a three that halted on the back rim before falling through the net. Beeninga had six early points for the Dragons as they held a 14-11 advantage.
Bemidji State would take a two-point lead before the Dragons answered back by taking a two-point lead of their own. It came when
Trever Kaiser found a cutting
Logan Kinsey for a jam. Midway through the first half, MSUM led 21-18 after a
Jaden Stanley-Williams three. The senior would net another three, along with baskets from
Dane Zimmer and Kaiser, and the Dragons went up 28-18.
With under five minutes remaining in the half, MSUM would lead 33-25 after a three from
Gavin Baumgartner and a dribble drive basket from Beeninga. The sophomore used shifty dribbling to split the Beaver defense and glide in for a nifty lay-in with some English on it. Beeninga would then net his third triple of the half to put MSUM up 13 points. In total, the Dragons hit six of their 11 three-point attempts in the first half.
Logan Kinsey slammed a thundering put-back dunk with under two minutes remaining to add another highlight to his reel and put a stamp on the Dragon first half. MSUM would shoot 53.3 percent from the floor through 20 minutes to lead 40-30 at the break. Beeninga led the Dragons with 11 points.
Zimmer would score six early points in the second half to put the Dragons back up by 14 points. Bemidji State would cut the lead to single digits five minutes into the half as the Beavers went on a 5-0 run following Zimmer's scoring stretch. The Beavers would open the half making five of their first six field goal attempts. Yet, MSUM would continue to lead by eight points, 54-47, midway through the final half.
Bemidji State would cut the Dragon lead to three points with seven minutes remaining. MSUM would be held scoreless for over two minutes, making one of nine field goal at one point in the half. The Beavers would knot the game at 59 points apiece shortly thereafter. With under five minutes remaining the teams would remain tied, 63-63.
While the Beavers would take as much as a four-point lead, MSUM would showcase their veteran presence. The Dragons stormed back to trail by one with less than 25 seconds left. With time waning, a play needed to be made or the Dragons would be heading home.
The senior,
Lorenzo McGhee, caught a pass from
Gavin Baumgartner and jabbed to the right, taking one dribble and hop-stepping near the three-point line. McGhee casted a shot from the right wing, arching its way to the basket and finding nothing but nylon as time expired. The Dragon bench exploded towards McGhee causing a frenzy at midcourt. MSUM would defeat Bemidji State 78-77 and punched their ticket to the NSIC Tournament Championship.
Top Dragons
Steve d'Eustachio's Stat of the Game
The Dragons also won on a walk-off bucket in a semifinal against Bemidji State as Jake Kruse stole an inbound pass and nailed a 12-foot jumper as time expired for a 79-78 overtime win over the Beavers in St. Paul on March 8, 2003.
Up Next
MSUM (24-6) will play Minnesota Duluth in tomorrow evening's NSIC Tournament final. The contest will commence at 7 p.m. from the Sanford Pentagon.
