Fresno State beats UNLV 98-96 on buzzer-beater after wild comeback
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$1 per week for 24 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $4.00 plus GST every four weeks. After 24 weeks, price increases to the regular rate of $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.99/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Fresno State erased an eight-point deficit with 1:33 left and came back from five down with six seconds remaining to defeat visiting UNLV 98-96 on a buzzer-beating jump shot Tuesday night in one of college basketball’s wildest finishes this season.
Jake Heidbreder made the jumper to cap that seven-point run over those final six seconds.
“I can say 48 years in coaching, I’ve never seen that,” Fresno State’s Vance Walberg said.
The game itself was a foul-filled slog that lasted about three hours. UNLV would have been down to four players if Naas Cunningham had picked up another foul after the Rebels had five other players foul out. Fresno State lost two players to fouls.
Overall, there were 62 fouls, 80 free throws taken, six technical fouls, three flagrant fouls and multiple video reviews.
“Most I’ve ever been around,” UNLV coach Josh Pastner said of the reviews. “There was review after review after review by the officials, which really stopped the flow of the game a lot of times, but that’s their job. That’s their decisions to do that, and they have the right to do that.”
The Rebels led 94-91 with eight seconds left when Al Green was fouled shortly after the inbounds pass. His two free throws gave UNLV a 96-91 lead with six seconds to go.
But Green also was called for a flagrant foul on the play after trying to get around Bastien Rieber, who then made his two foul shots.
“They told me he hit him on his neck,” Pastner said. “Everyone on the bench told me there was no flagrant. It was just a basketball play. He was trying to get open, but the refs called it, and that’s part of the deal.”
Because of that ruling, Fresno State retained possession. David Douglas Jr. then nailed a 25-foot 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left to tie the game.
UNLV’s Howie Fleming tried a length-of-the-court inbounds pass, but it went out of bounds without touching any players. That gave the Bulldogs possession underneath UNLV’s basket, and Heidbreder made them pay by sinking the winning shot.
“Tough loss,” Pastner said. “Hard one to swallow there. Really disappointing. Had chances to win and just didn’t get it done.”
The feeling, obviously, was opposite on the other side.
“I came in (to the locker room) and said, ‘Great job!’” Walberg said. “The next thing I know, everybody had a water bottle on me. I am soaking wet right now, but I’ll take it any time.”
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball