UAH Falls In Overtime In NCAA Men's Elite Eight
Springfield, MA—The Gulf South Conference’s drought in the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Elite Eight continued in dramatic fashion as Alabama-Huntsville fell in overtime to Minnesota State-Mankato, 95-91.
UAH and MSUM gave the fans more than their money’s worth as each battled in their first-ever Elite Eight appearance. The Chargers sprinted out of the gates early, connecting on their first nine field goal attempts and building a 14-point lead. The Mavericks bounced back with some hot shooting of their own to claim a 51-49 lead at the break.
Both offenses cooled off in the second half. UAH led by six twice in the first 10 minutes of the second frame, but MSUM used a 9-1 run to claim a two-point edge at 6:05. The Chargers held a two-point lead of their own at 1:34, but the Mavericks tied matters at 84 with one minute left in regulation and neither could post the go ahead points, forcing overtime.
The teams traded buckets in the extra period, but MSUM took the lead for good via a three-pointer with 1:48 and the Chargers could not recover down the stretch.
UAH guard Jamie Smith led all players with a season-high 30 points thanks to a 6-for-9 performance from three-point range, while forward Tyler Hanback added 14 points.
The loss increases the GSC's losing streak in the Elite Eight to 10 games dating back to 1991. Alabama-Huntsville (29-5) became the sixth league’s sixth consecutive Elite Eight participant and posted the best season in school history.
Complete game information can be found here