Hill's Dunk Lifts No. 7 Seed UTSA Past Northwestern State
By Brandon C. Williams
Southland.org
KATY, Texas - Devin Gibson wasn't ready to go home, so when UTSA found itself down 14 with less than seven minutes left on Wednesday afternoon, the senior guard reached deep into his inner reserves and delivered one of the most stirring stretches of play in Southland Conference tournament annals.
Gibson scored 10 of his game-high 28 points in the final 6:17, but it was his tenth assist of the night -- a perfect dish to Jeromie Hill with 2 seconds left - that capped off a remarkable 97-96 win over second-seeded Northwestern State.
The native of nearby Houston finished with his second triple-double of the season, finishing with 10 rebounds as well.
"We came out and got down pretty big, but no one gave up," said Gibson.
Down 81-67 with 7:37 remaining, the Roadrunners (18-13) outscored the Demons (18-14) 30-15 down the stretch, holding Northwestern to just two field goals in that span.
"We felt like we had to be perfect early," said UTSA guard Mevin Johnson III (18 points), "but once our backs were against the wall, we just relaxed and laid it all on the line."
With the win, UTSA will advance to Thursday evening's semifinal, where they will play either Sam Houston State or Stephen F. Austin at 6:05 p.m.
The Roadrunners weathered the storm of Northwestern's tournament record-tying 14 made 3-pointers and forged the game's first tie when Gibson buried a 3-pointer of his own from the top of the key with 1:10 remaining. UTSA then took their first lead since early in the first half on a Gibson jumper with just 19 seconds on the clock.
Undaunted, the Demons took the ball up court, with senior guard Devon Baker delivering a conventional 3-point play of his own that allowed Northwestern to regain a 96-95 edge with 10 seconds remaining.
It would prove to be eight seconds too long.
Gibson pushed the ball up court and - facing a triple-team - fired a pass underneath to Hill, who easily dunked home the game-winner.
"I knew Devin was going to make a play," said Hill, who finished with 25 points and five rebounds. "He got an opening, and all I had to do was finish it."
Added UTSA coach Brooks Thompson, "Our basketball team is resilient. They've grown up as team and as people each day."
The Roadrunners hit 11 of their last 12 shots, finishing the day with a blistering .586 mark from the field.
"They just made shots when they had to," said Northwestern coach Mike McConathy.
Will Pratt led the Demons with 26 points, while both he and Louis Ellis (16 points) each had four treys. Baker had 15, while William Mosley added 11 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots.
In tying the record for 3-pointers, Northwestern State now shares the record with Louisiana-Monroe (1998) and Texas State (2000).
UTSA, Quotes
Coach Brooks Thompson
Opening Statement: "I'm still kind of calming down a little bit from it, but, what a basketball game. It's a shame that somebody had to lose. I thought Northwestern State played a fabulous basketball game. I didn't feel like we played particularly well for quite a bit of stretch of the game. But on the flip side of that, I have to give Northwestern State a lot of credit, they didn't deserve to lose. In tournament play it's tough on all of us. I'm very proud of our guys. They never gave up. I could tell at every time out how they were talking and their demeanor that they were not giving up. We came together as a basketball team. We came together as a family and made the plays we had to make."
On Devin Gibson's triple-double: "I don't know how to accept it. It's very remarkable. To have the poise that he had today, and leadership ability to rally his teammates, opportunities to give 10 assists is incredible and his biggest assist was at the end to Jeromie. But that's what senior leaders do. If you look at his performance it's absolutely fabulous. It's one of the greatest performances I've ever seen and probably the greatest one I've ever coached."
Devin Gibson
On team comeback and performance: "We never gave up. We used the UTA game as a motivational tool. We came out, we got down, but we never gave up."
Jeromie Hill
On game-winning dunk: "I knew Devon was going to make a play at the end. I knew he would make the right decision. I was just trying my best to find an opening, and it came to the end where I was wide open and Devon made a dime. All I had to do was finish it."
Northwestern State, Quotes
Coach Mike McConathy
Opening Statement: "Well, we just lost a tough one. We got beat by a very good team that stayed the course and made good shots. Down the stretch from the seven minute mark on, they just made every shot they put up there and did a phenomenal job. I'm not frustrated with my kids, just frustrated that we didn't get it in the end. But we've lived right on the edge for the last month and sometimes and you just don't get it over the hump and we picked an inopportune time to not get it done. UTSA just did a great job, but I'm very proud of the level of play that our team competed at, to continue to fight, but in the end it just wasn't enough."
On anticipating a game like this: "I didn't envision everyone would shoot the ball as well as they did. I felt like we had pressed the issue and tried to wear them down, which speaks volumes about Devin Gibson, he's a very good player. To be able to knock down the shots that he did in the end, because we had worked him as hard as we could, says a lot about him. Overall I was very pleased with our production and how we were able to get the ball up and down the floor, but I didn't think it would be on the losing end of 97-96."
Devon Baker
On today's game: "It's the last game I'll ever play as a Demon. We left it all out on the floor. No regrets."