Dustin Maguire is mobbed by teammates after his last-second basket.
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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. –
Dustin Maguire's 18-foot jumper at the buzzer gave Northern Kentucky University a 59-57 win over Christian Brothers in the championship game of the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic on Saturday night.
With the score tied at 57-all and the clock winding down, Maguire launched a shot from the top of the circle that hit the rim, bounced around and fell through the net as time expired. The junior guard finished with 10 points and was named the most outstanding player of the two-day event for NKU (2-1).
“I really don't think I ever made a game-winning shot at the buzzer like that. It was a neat feeling. You see it on TV all the time, but to make the game-winning shot yourself feels really good,” Maguire said. “The important thing is that it was a team victory even though I made the last shot. The stops that we were able to get in the last couple possessions were really key. Just playing as a team and moving the ball is what really wins the game for you.”
David Palmer and
Dennis Gagai each scored 11 points as NKU remained unbeaten (15-0 all-time) in The Bank of Kentucky Center.
Erik Stenger added a career-high 10 points for the Norse.
Zack Warner led Christian Brothers (2-1) with 27 points.
NKU and Christian Brothers had not met since the 2003 championship game of the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic. Christian Brothers defeated NKU in that contest, 66-55, in Regents Hall.
Christian Brothers held a 45-38 lead with 13:28 remaining in the game after a 3-pointer by Warner, but NKU used a 14-7 run to tie it at 52-all on Palmer's dunk with 4:47 left on the clock.
Maguire buried a 3-pointer with 22.8 seconds left to give NKU a 57-54 lead, but Kyle Couvion drained a 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining to tie the game at 57-all. NKU called timeout and ran the clock down inside five seconds, and Maguire launched his winning shot from just inside the top of the key.
“We knew it was a challenge going in because the pace that Christian Brothers gets you into, especially if they have the lead or when the game is close,” NKU head coach
Dave Bezold said. “We were able to dictate it early in the first half when we got our lead up to nine points. Then, right at the end of the half, they went on a big run to close it to three.
“We had an opportunity to have it up to six or eight, but we missed a couple free throws and all of a sudden the pace was theirs. In the second half, we came out a little flat. They went on a little run and had us down seven points, but to our guys' credit, we just kept battling and were able to tough out a win.”
NKU plays a road game at UC-Clermont at 7 p.m. Monday.
