Sky Lands on Matadors

Three if by Land. And sometimes by the other guys on the Northern Arizona basketball team.

Long-distance shooting carried Northern Arizona to its second Big Sky Conference championship in three seasons, an 85-81 overtime victory over Cal State Northridge before 3,316 Saturday night at Montana’s Adams Center.

Ross Land, the NCAA’s career three-point percentage leader, led a three-point assault that included an 85-foot swish and a Big Sky tournament-record 16 three-pointers by a team.

Northridge nearly won in the final seconds of regulation. But Markus Carr’s driving attempt from the lane missed with 2.8 seconds to play.

“It’s a designed play we run and it just didn’t drop for us,” Carr said.

The victory was the 14th in 15 games for the Lumberjacks (20-10), who lost their first four conference games but rallied to finish third.

Northern Arizona advances as the Big Sky representative to the NCAA tournament.

For Northridge (20-10), the defeat might have brought to an end a memorable season that included more victories than any Matador team since 1978, including upsets on the road against Fresno State and Oregon.

Northridge will hope to earn a bid to the National Invitation Tournament tonight.

“I think we deserve it, but I don’t know if we’ll get it,” Northridge Coach Bobby Braswell said. “Our goal was to get to the NCAA tournament and we didn’t do that.

“I was hoping they wouldn’t shoot as well tonight as they did last night, but they did.”

Land, a senior guard, scored 20 points, making five of nine three-point tries, and was selected the tournament’s most valuable player.

Guard Adam Lopez led Northern Arizona with 22 points, including five three-pointers.

Land’s length-of-the-court buzzer beater gave the Lumberjacks a 38-29 halftime lead.

“I expected it to go in,” Land said with a smile.

“Actually, that was the last thing on my mind. I was just telling the coach we need to hurry and get it in bounds. Our shooting is contagious. We work a lot on our three-pointers a lot. But we also work on all of our shooting.”

The game was played close to the basket in overtime, but the Lumberjacks, who took the lead for good in the first half, never trailed.

Land and center Dan McClintock each made a free throw in the final 3.4 seconds to secure the victory. Lopez led the Lumberjacks with seven points in overtime.

Northridge rallied from a 70-61 deficit in the final 2:55, closing a 9-0 run with a three-pointer by Andre Larry that tied the score, 70-70, with 1:36 to play.

From there, both teams turned the ball over once, and Land missed a three-point attempt with a minute to play.

Four Northern Arizona starters connected from three-point range--Land, Lopez, Cory Schwab and Billy Hix. Schwab made four from three-point range, Hix three.

But it was Land who brought the crowd to their feet when the ball was in his hands.

“He’s not the greatest three-point shooter in the history of the Big Sky for nothing,” Coach Mike Adras said.

The Lumberjacks came out firing from behind the perimeter. Land and company made eight of nine three-pointers during one stretch, including five in a row. Northern Arizona was 10 of 15 from three-point range in the first half and 16 of 27 overall.

Land’s heave just before the first-half buzzer hit nothing but net and sent spectators scurrying for television monitors in search of a replay.

Braswell reacted by shaking his head and smiling.

“It’s sad that somebody has to lose a game like this,” Braswell said. “There’s not a lot I can say to make our guys feel better right now. Words cannot express how devastated I feel for them.”

Land’s shot ended a 7-0 Northridge run and gave the Lumberjacks an emotional edge at the break.

Center Brian Heinle and forward Jeff Parris of Northridge were selected to the all-tournament team.