UNLV Hits Buzzer-Beater Three To Beat BYU In Overtime

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – It was an up and down game for the BYU Cougars as they dug themselves a hole in the first half but came back from a 17-point deficit to force overtime. UNLV hit a buzzer beating three-point shot as time expired to win 92-90.

The game was a part of Coaches vs. Cancer at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Yoeli Childs did reach 30 points for the fourth straight game but led the Cougars with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Jashire Hardnett and T.J. Haws each scored 19 points and Zac Seljaas added 10 points.

The Cougars shot 53 percent from the field but only hit 5-of-16 from beyond-the-arc for 31 percent.

Joel Ntambwe scored a team-high 22 points and 11 rebounds on just 6-of-8 shooting from the field. Kris Clyburn chipped in 221 points and Noah Robotham scored 12 points including the game-winning triple.

The Rebels hit 44 percent from the field and 13-of-27 from downtown.

“They left everything out there and played their hearts out,” BYU head coach Dave Rose said. “There are a lot of really good things here. We switched our defense on that last play and I think it confused them a little bit. The kid jumped up and made a shot and those are tough.”

Rebels Get Hot Late In First Half

After a back-and-forth first portion of the first half, UNLV started to pull away from the Cougars. The two teams were tied at 21-all with about 10 minutes remaining before the Rebels reeled off a 26-9 run to end the half and take a 47-30 lead into the halftime break.

UNLV was shooting at a strong clip from beyond the arc in the first half, making 9-of-16 shots from downtown.

BYU Completes Comeback, Sends Game To Overtime

In the second half, BYU held UNLV scoreless for two minutes and took advantage by trimming the lead to seven, 68-61 with 7:29 left in the game.

BYU made five of their last six field goals to pull within one point before the Rebels hit a big three. Childs answered with a dunk as UNLV’s lead is just two with four minutes left.

With two and a half minutes left, Zac Seljaas hit a corner three and Hardnett converted on a three-point play to give the Cougars the lead back, 83-81.

Neither team scored a point over the next 90 seconds before Ntambwe hits two free-throws to tie the game at 83 with 27 seconds left.

Seljaas missed the potential game-winning three-pointer and the game went to overtime. It was BYU’s second overtime of the season with the first time taking place on November 28 in their 92-89 loss to Illinois State.

UNLV Hits Game-Winner In Overtime

Yoeli Childs scored in the paint to give the Cougars the lead back with two and a half left in overtime. MBacke Diong tied the game back up with two free throws.

The Rebels snatched the lead with a jump shot by Hardy but Diong fouled Childs and he had a chance to tie the game with two free-throws. He only hit one and BYU trailed by one point, 87-86 with over a minute left.

After a UNLV turnover, BYU called a timeout and Haws made a layup coming out of the timeout and took the lead back, 88-87 with 52 seconds left.

BYU sent Hardy to the free-throw line where he made both attempts and UNLV took the lead back, 89-88 with 33 seconds left.

Hardnett made a layup to give the lead back to the Cougars with 14 seconds left, forcing the Rebels to call a timeout.

Noah Robotham hit the game-winning three-pointer to give the Rebels the win.

. @TheRunninRebels for the win! @SportsCenter #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/vuMBpvHcb5

— #NeonHoops (@NeonHoopsLV) December 16, 2018

Next Up

BYU fell to 8-5 on the season and snapped a three-game winning streak. They will face another former Mountain West Conference rival, San Diego State on Saturday. The game against the Aztecs will tip-off at 5 p.m. from San Diego on CBS Sports Network.

BYU and SDSU last faced each other in 2014 in the Maui Invitational with the Aztecs winning in double overtime.

Final/OT.#BYUhoops pic.twitter.com/t3rogMYUfl

— BYU Basketball (@BYUbasketball) December 16, 2018