Loper Leader Comes Up Big in Final Seconds
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Kearney, Neb. – Super senior forward Darrian Nebeker sunk two free throws with 1.6 seconds left and then made a strong defensive play to help Nebraska Kearney beat Pittsburg State, 63-61, Thursday night at the Health & Sports Center. The Lopers (3-11, 1-7) are now 34-10 all-time against the Gorillas (5-9, 2-4). UNK led for 33 minutes and held seven-point leads in both halves but found itself down 59-58 with 53 seconds remaining. Pitt used a 15-7 run over a nine-minute span to retake the lead. Iowa redshirt sophomore guard Jaleque Dunson swished home a right wing three to put UNK back on top but Pitt turned to ultra-quick guard Quentin Hardrict Jr. to tie things up for the fifth and final time with 14 seconds remaining. The first eight fouls of the half were called on UNK so the Gorillas still had a couple to give after the Lopers advanced the ball to halfcourt and called timeout. While they got one in, Nebeker (West Jordan, Utah) managed to get down the lane with a Pitt help side defender called for a shooting foul with 1.6 seconds left. After the two makes, Pitt still had a chance and a long inbounds pass found Deshaun English II on the right wing. He was driving to the rack but Nebeker walled him off and then poked the ball loose in the lane with three tenths of a second left. "Really happy for these guys. It's a team that needed something good to happen. We have a good group of kids but things haven't been going our way," said Loper head coach Kevin Lofton. "Darrian did a great job at the end. He hits two clutch free throws and then makes a heck of a defensive play on the other end because we would be in overtime right now if their guy gets another dribble and gets all the way there." UNK made three more shots than Pitt and also sunk five more threes. The Gorillas made up for that by making nine more free throws with the Lopers plus five on the glass. Next, Nebeker (13) was one of four starters in double digits. He also had 10 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks. This marks his third double double of the year. "Defensively we had long stretches where we really scrambled, did a good job, followed the scouting report, helped each other out and made it tough on them," said Lofton. Colorado sophomore guard Sean Evans went 4 of 7 from behind the arc to tally 14 with Dunson at a team-best 15 on 3 of 5 triple shooting. Finally, South Dakota redshirt sophomore forward Ryder Kirsch was at 10 points, four boards and four assists. "I thought we had some young guys – Sean, Ryder, Jaleque – all step up and make plays. Hopefully they get confidence from that and keep building," said Lofton. Thanks to a series of drives to the bucket, Hardrict Jr. paced Pitt with 17 points, eight assists and four rebounds. Three other starters scored in double figures including Danish post Calvin Poulina (11 points, seven rebounds). UNK hosts Missouri Southern on Saturday afternoon. The Lions (9-4, 5-2) knocked off Fort Hays State tonight, 68-56.
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