As Western senior guard Morris Anderson’s potentially game-winning, 70-foot shot sailed well wide of the basket, the buzzer sounded to signal both the end of the game and the end of the season for the Vikings.

Western lost in overtime, 76-75, to California State Polytechnic University Pomona in the semifinals of the NCAA II West Regional on Saturday, March 13 at Carver Gym.

With the Vikings down one with 20 seconds to play in overtime, Western senior guard Derrick Webb made two free throws to give the Vikings a one-point advantage. Cal Poly Pomona banked in a close-range shot with one second left to take back the lead, and when Anderson’s last-second prayer missed, Cal Poly Pomona took the victory.

“It’s a tough loss, the way it happened with the last second shot,” said Western freshman guard Richard Woodworth. “All of our seniors and everybody that played, played incredibly hard. These guys really did play their hearts out. It’s tough to see them go down like that.”

The game was tied 15 times, and neither team ever led by more than seven points.

“That was just a great college basketball game,” said Cal Poly Pomona coach Greg Kamansky. “Both teams played really, really well. It’s one of those games that nobody deserves to lose.”

Webb led the Vikings with 23 points. Western senior forward Zach Bruce scored 15, and sophomore forward Rory Blanche added 10 off the bench.

Western had a good chance to win in regulation, and they led by three with a minute remaining. But Cal Poly Pomona senior forward Austin Swift, who led the Broncos with 22 points, made a 3-pointer to tie the game.

On the next possession, Western was fouled, and Anderson calmly hit two free throws to take a 69-67 lead. But after Cal Poly Pomona called timeout, Swift made a driving layup over two Western defenders with one second left that tied the game again, and sent it into overtime.

“Defensively, there were a couple breakdowns here and there that kept them in the game,” said Woodworth. “But the big thing that we saw was the amount of offensive rebounds that we gave up. We gave up a ton of second, third chances on the offensive end and with a team that’s as good as Cal Poly, if you give them chances like that, they’re always gonna convert.”

Cal Poly Pomona outrebounded Western 31-22, and collected 12 offensive rebounds, many of which led to put-back baskets.

Although Cal Poly Pomona came away with the win, Western got off to the stronger start in the game. Webb made a 3-pointer to put the Vikings ahead 28-21 with about seven minutes left in the first half. But Cal Poly Pomona responded, tying the game several times before making a 3-pointer as the halftime buzzer sounded to take a 37-36 lead.

Cal Poly Pomona scored the first six points of the second half to quickly extend their lead to seven. But the Vikings countered, taking back the lead on a Blanche layup to make it 47-46 with about 14 minutes left. The score was close the rest of the way, setting up the exciting – but heartbreaking – finish.

“[Western] never let us get away,” said Kamansky. “They kept putting pressure on us on the offensive end. They shot really well. They were very efficient on offense, but we were too.”

Western shot 57 percent from the field for the game. Cal Poly Pomona shot 56 percent for the game, and a blistering 71 percent in the first half.

Although Woodworth was disappointed with the result, he said the Vikings should be proud of their overall season.

“There’s no one who should hang their heads,” he said. “There’s nothing to regret from the season. It was a great season, a season that saw us at the top of the [conference], top of the west for a long time and that’s something to be proud of. Of course, we’d like to have ended it differently, but there’s no shame in losing a game like this.”

Woodworth added that it wasn’t due to lack of effort that the Vikings lost.

“That’s what they say, it’s not who wins, it’s how you play the game,” he said. “And I think the season overall was a tremendous season, a season people are going to remember for a long time.”

      

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