ABERDEEN, S.D. -- Presentation College overcame a late five-point deficit, hitting a free throw with less than one second remaining, to escape with a 68-67 victory over Bellevue University in North Star Athletic Association men's basketball action at the Strode Center.
The largest lead for either team was seven points in the contest that featured 14 ties and 18 lead changes.
With the loss, the Bruins fell to 15-11 on the season and 7-4 in the NSAA. PC improved to 11-13 overall and 4-7 in league play.
Justin Motley led the Bruins with 20 points and three rebounds. He was 8-of-10 from the field.
Eric Pierce added 17 points and six rebounds.
Denzel McDuffey paced the Saints with 18 points, five rebounds, four steals, and three assists. Captain Whitlock added 12 points and four boards.
Neither squad could establish control in the early going with the largest lead for either team being four points in the first half.
After a pair of free throws by Captain Whitlock gave the Saints a four-point advantage, Paulo Araujo scored four-straight points to knot the contest at 29-all with one minute remaining in the first half.
A 3-pointer by Jackson Becker just before the buzzer gave the Saints a 32-29 halftime advantage.
Pierce (11) and Motley (10) combined for 21 of BU's 29 first-half points.
McDuffey led the Saints in the opening half with 11 points and four rebounds.
After a layup by Pierce brought the Bruins to within one point, PC scored six-straight points sparked by a pair of dunks from Maximo Guillermo to take a 38-31 lead with 17 minutes left in the game.
The Bruins countered with a 7-0 run to tie the game at 38-38 at the 15:37 mark.
The game remained tied at 48-all following a three-point play by Eric Montanez midway through the second half.
After a layup by Vaj Rice capped an 8-2 BU run to give the Bruins a 56-50 lead, the Saints responded with four-straight points to make it a two-point contest at 56-54 at the seven-minute mark.
Three free throws gave BU a five-point margin at 62-57 with 3:55 remaining.
The two teams traded baskets over the next two minutes as the lead remained at five points at 66-61 with 1:32 left in the contest.
Two free throws by Whitlock and a layup by Dwight Felton made it a one-point game at 66-65 with just under a minute remaining.
After Araujo made one-of-two free throws to give BU a two-point lead, the Saints tied the game at 67-67 on a layup by McDuffey with 16 seconds left in regulation.
After a BU turnover, the Saints got possession of the ball with nine seconds remaining.
A foul was called on Martis Johnson with 0.4 seconds remaining, McDuffey missed his first free throw attempt and made his second to give PC a 68-67 lead.
The Bruins could not get a shot off as the Saints escaped with the one-point victory.
Bellevue returns home on Friday, Feb. 11 when it hosts Valley City State University beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
