(ROCKLIN, Calif.)
Jake Lifgren's buzzer-beating 3-pointer in overtime lifted No. 12 PLNU Men's Basketball to an 89-87 victory at Jessup to open PacWest play on Thursday night.
Trailing by two with 2.5 seconds remaining,
Andrew Hommes inbounded the ball to
Andrew Nagy, who found a wide open Lifgren on the perimeter to hit a straightaway triple as the final buzzer sounded.
Point Loma has now won its conference opener in eight straight seasons.
The Sea Lions trailed by seven at halftime before outscoring the Warriors by the same margin in the second half.
Tyce Paulsen miraculously forced overtime with a pair of 3's in the closing seconds of regulation, cutting Point Loma's deficit to three with a triple before getting a steal and draining another 3.
PLNU then led by five in the final minute of overtime, but back-to-back Jessup 3-pointers gave the hosts the lead, only for Lifgren to play the role of hero.
Jaden Matingou led all scorers with 25 points, 12 of which came at the free throw line. Paulsen scored 24 points on an efficient 9-for-12 from the field, including 6-for-8 from 3-point range.
Andrew Nagy added 17 points, while
Andrew Hommes had a near double-double of nine points and nine rebounds.
Point Loma (6-1 overall, 1-0 PacWest) travels to play at Fresno Pacific on Saturday at 4 p.m.
