WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – Brandon Norfleet's clutch 3-point field goal with just 7 seconds remaining snapped a 74-74 tie and lifted No. 25-ranked Indiana (Pa.) to a 77-74 upset of four-time regional champion West Liberty Tuesdaynight in a thrilling Atlantic Region championship game played before an overflow crowd at the ASRC.
"All I can do is congratulate Indiana," Hilltopper head coach Jim Crutchfield told reporters in his post-game press conference. "They played a great game but I thought we did, too. We just came up one stop short. On the last possession, I thought we played good defense to stop the initial penetration but they got a kick-out to a guy who hit a big 3-point shot with time running out on the shot clock. "They were able to do that to us two or three other times tonight, hitting contested 3-pointers late in the shot clock after we had played great defense for 30-some seconds. That was the difference in the game."
The Hilltoppers (28-4) led for most of the first half and used a 12-2 run midway through the period to take the largest lead of the night for either team, 28-17, on a conventional 3-point play by Brandon Smith at the 9:12 mark. The veteran Crimson Hawks, who feature three seniors, a redshirt junior and a junior in their starting lineup, never abandoned their game plan and were back within range, trailing just 45-43 at intermission.
Indiana – which shot 60 percent from the floor in the second half – took its biggest lead of the game, 60-54, on a Jeremy Jeffers 3-pointer with 10:11 remaining but West Liberty answered with back-to-back 3-pointers from Devin Hoehn and C.J. Hester to forge a 60-60 deadlock with just under 9 minutes to go. The Crimson Hawks quickly regained the lead and appeared on the verge of putting the game out of reach when Shawn Dyer – a WLU transfer – banked in a 3-point shot from the top of the key to restore the 6-point margin, 72-66, with 3:37 remaining. Hester responded just 12 seconds later with another 3-pointer – his sixth of the night – to cut the lead in half and Zac Grossenbacher brought the crowd to its feet with a resounding block of a layup attempt by IUP's Daddy Ugbede. The fans remained on their feet as the Hilltoppers tied it, 72-72, on a Bonifant 3-pointer and momentum seemed solidly on West Liberty's side when the hosts forced a Crimson Hawk turnover and Bonifant banked home a runner for a 74-72 Hilltopper lead heading into the final two minutes.
Indiana's Devon Cottrell capped an extended IUP possession with an aggressive move to the rack that sent bodies flying but didn't draw a whistle either way and produced the game's final tie, 74-74, with 1:05 to go.
All-Region standout Devante Chance, the PSAC West Player of the Year, came up with a huge steal at the other end and ran the shot clock down into single digits before curling into the lane. As the WLU defense shifted to help, Chance kicked the ball out to a wide-open Norfleet in the right corner and Norfleet's dagger hit nothing but net with just 2 seconds left on the shot clock.
Hoehn got a good look at a 3-pointer with time running down but the shot wouldn't drop, giving IUP the sixth Elite Eight berth in school history.
"I want to congratulate West Liberty on a great season and a great run," Indiana coach Joe Lombardi said. "We had to come in here tonight and play our best game of the season to win a one-possession game at the buzzer. We've had some great games against each other in this tournament over the years and they definitely bring out the best in us.
"I couldn't agree more with Coach Crutchfield. Both teams were outstanding tonight. There were a combined 13 turnovers and we both shot better than 50 percent from the floor and from 'three.' You can't have more of a high-quality basketball game than that. It really just came down to who had the ball last."
Dyer led all scorers with 23 points and was named Tournament MVP. Chance joined him on the All-Tournament Team with 19 points and 7 assists while Cottrell finished with 11 points and 7 rebounds for an IUP squad that shot a blistering 61 percent (14-of-23) from the floor in the second half and 58 percent (29-of-50) for the game.
Hester came up big in his final game in Black and Gold, tossing in a team-high 22 points – highlighted by a 6-for-7 showing from the 3-point arc – and leading the team with 6 rebounds. Bonifant and Hoehn added 11 and 10 points, respectively, for a WLU squad that hit 52 percent (27-of-52) of its shots from the floor and 61 percent (14-of-23) of its 3-point tries but couldn't overcome a 31-19 rebounding deficit.
"I can't express how much C.J. Hester has meant to me personally and to our basketball program," Crutchfield said. "He's been the heart and soul of our team. C.J.'s the player every coach wants. Along with being a great player, he's a tremendous leader, a great student and an outstanding representative of the university on and off the court. It's going to be really hard to see him go." Hester and Bonifant joined Dyer and Chance on the All-Tournament Team with Fairmont State's Nick Harney rounding out the squad.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
NCAA Division II Men's Atlantic Region Tournament
(at West Liberty, W.Va.)
Saturday, March 14
Regional Quarterfinals
Afternoon Session
Indiana, Pa. 73, Glenville State 53
Slippery Rock 65, Gannon 57
Evening Session
WEST LIBERTY 127, Livingstone 89
Fairmont State 68, Mercyhurst 63
Sunday, March 15
Regional Semifinals
Indiana, Pa. 73, Slippery Rock 65
WEST LIBERTY 89, Fairmont State 59
Tuesday, March 17
Regional Championship
Indiana, Pa. 77, WEST LIBERTY 74
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All-Tournament Team
Devante Chance, Indiana
C.J. HESTER, WEST LIBERTY
SEGER BONIFANT, WEST LIBERTY
Nick Harney, Fairmont State
