Kansas City
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Chamberlain Hits Three With 1.9 Seconds Left to Take Out Mavericks
11/17/2011 12:57:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Kangaroos (1-2) trailed by as many as seven points in with 7:34 remaining in the second half, but an 8-0 run spurred by threes from Chamberlain and sophomore forward Kirk Korver gave them a one-point advantage with 5:05 to play. The Mavericks (1-2) answered with five straight points of their own to make it a four-point lead with 4:15 on the clock, but Chamberlain took over from there.
He scored the next five points on a three-pointer and two free throws to put the 'Roos up one with 3:35 left. After a bucket by the Mavs to take the advantage back, Chamberlain drew the UNO defenders inside, and kicked it out to a wide open Korver with 2:47 to play for a huge trey to make it 74-72. The Mavericks got the next points on a fade-away jumper in the lane by Caleb Steffensmeier with 35.6 seconds left to tie it at 74, giving the ball to UMKC for the last shot.
Chamberlain came off a screen to face up against 6-8 center John Karhoff as the clock was running down, faked the drive, and pulled up for the three from the top of the arc with 1.9 seconds left. The Mavericks got a turnaround attempt from three-point range for the tie after a long in-bounds pass, but it grazed the rim short and right at the buzzer.
The game was a fast-paced affair, with 77 points scored in the opening half. UNO guard Mitch Albers dominated the attack, driving the lane for 18 first period points. He propelled the Mavericks to a 44-43 lead at the break, and helped them hit 56.7 percent from the floor. Chamberlain had 15 at the break for UMKC as the 'Roos hit eight threes in the period to keep pace.
The two teams battled back-and-forth in the final half with six ties and 11 lead changes, but the difference proved to be when the Kangaroos finally slowed down Albers, holding him scoreless for the final seven minutes of the game, and outscoring the Mavericks 19-9 during that stretch.
The 'Roos hit 46.4 percent for the game, while UNO shot 54.9 percent. The difference proved to be from the three-point line, with UMKC hitting 13 threes, and UNO making only three. The Kangaroos also did a better job on the boards, taking a 32-28 advantage, while allowing only three offensive rebounds.
Trinity Hall had 11 points and nine rebounds for the 'Roos, while five different players hit threes. Chamberlain was 5-of-10 from beyond the arc in the game, and had three assists.
The Kangaroos head on the road for the next six games, starting this Saturday at Utah Valley. The game will be televised on Fox College Sports, with tipoff set for 8:00 p.m. (Central).
