Kansas City
Bakersfield
Bakersfield Jumper with 0.3 Left Sinks 'Roos in Heartbreaker, 64-62
2/22/2015 1:10:00 AM | Men's Basketball
(Bakersfield, Calif.) - Bakersfield's Jaylin Airington hit a jumper with 0.3 seconds on the clock to hand the UMKC men's basketball squad a heartbreaking 64-62 loss on Saturday night. Martez Harrison had just hit a three to tie it with 29 seconds left for the 'Roos.
“We defended it pretty well,” Head Coach Kareem Richardson said of the last play. “A little bit too much space for that time, but we switch things well, we were right there and for a contested 17 footer, so you have to tip your cap to him (Airington).”
The tight finish was to be expected as all four meetings between the two teams have been decided by five points or less, and UMKC won in Bakersfield last year on a last second shot.
Harrison finished with 28 points in the contest, and became the 10th player in UMKC history to become a member of the 1,000 point club. He now has 1,015 points, and did it in just his 58th game, the fourth-fastest in school history.
The Roadrunners (12-16, 7-5 WAC) took control of the contest in the early going, taking a 16-7 lead with 12:41 to go. UMKC (11-17, 6-5 WAC) remained in it though, and ramped up the defensive pressure after the second media timeout. The 'Roos went on a 13-2 run over a span of four minutes to take a 20-18 lead with 8:03 left.
UMKC would hold that advantage through the rest of the half, and went into the break with a 29-15 lead. The 'Roos were out-rebounded 20-11 in the period, but hit the same number of field goals. CSUB had a 10-2 advantage in second-chance points, nabbing 10 offensive boards.
The second half saw the Roadrunners take an early lead, starting with an 11-2 run to take a 36-31 lead. Bakersfield would push its lead to as many as seven with 11:21 left, but UMKC wouldn't go away. It got back-to-back threes from Frank Williams and Reese Holliday, taking a 48-47 lead with 7:33 remaining. The two teams traded leads over the next three minutes, before Bakersfield went ahead by more than one possession on a three with 1:33 left.
With the 'Runners leading by four, UMKC needed an answer, and it got it from Williams, who drilled a three with 1:15 left to cut it back to one. After a CSUB bucket with 48 seconds left, it came down to Harrison to tie it, and he did.
Harrison not only had 28 points in the outing, but also dished out five assists and had two steals with no turnovers. Williams had 11 points, while Deshon Taylor had nine. Thaddeus Smith was also big in the game, pulling down eight rebounds and blocking five shots.
UMKC will return home this week for a its final two home games, facing Utah Valley on Thursday night at 7:05 p.m., before battling Grand Canyon on Saturday. The contest against Utah Valley will be televised on KSMO in Kansas City and streamed on ESPN3.
