'Roos Win a Spot in the SCAC Tournament

CLARKSVILLE, Ark. - Tasshir Pina-Warren sank a clutch three-pointer in the final minute to break a tie and propel the Austin College men's basketball team to a 72-67 road victory over the University of the Ozarks on Saturday afternoon at Mabee Gymnasium. With the win, the 'Roos have earned a spot in next week's SCAC Tournament, capping a season-ending run in which the 'Roos earned victories in seven of their final 10 games.

The win improves the 'Roos to 10-15 overall and 7-9 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference action, after sitting on a record of 3-12 overall and 0-6 in conference play just a month ago. The Eagles fall to 5-21 overall and 4-11 in league play.

Ryan Dupre led a balanced offensive attack for the 'Roos, pouring in a team-high 18 points on nearly perfect 7-of-8 shooting from the floor, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Kidus Getenet tallied 16 points and three steals, while Pina-Warren finished with 13 points and three assists. Peyton Gonzales anchored the effort with 12 points, six rebounds, and two steals, and Ethan Pearce pulled down a team-high eight boards.

For Ozarks, Eyal Shamri delivered a massive performance with a game-high 32 points on 13-of-24 shooting, adding six rebounds and two steals. Vanya Nikolic drained five five-pointers on his way to 20 points and six boards, and Dylan Archey contributed 11 points and four steals.

Austin College set the pace early, grabbing the initial lead on a fastbreak layup by Getenet in the opening seconds. The 'Roos offense operated efficiently throughout the first half, pushing the pace to outscore the Eagles 16-9 in fastbreak points over the first 20 minutes. A late layup by Dupre with exactly two minutes remaining in the half helped Austin College secure a 39-33 advantage heading into the halftime break.

The Eagles came out of the locker room hot, using a big run early in the second half to go on top 53-43 midway through the period. However, the 'Roos battled back and took a 54-53 lead thanks to an 11-0 run. After going back and forth for the next 10 minutes, Shamri drilled a three-pointer with 1:25 remaining to knot the score at 67-67. The 'Roos responded on the ensuing possession, as Jamien June found Pina-Warren, who buried the go-ahead triple with 59 seconds left on the clock to give Austin College a 70-67 edge.

The 'Roo defense held strong, forcing a missed three-pointer by Shamri with 19 seconds remaining, and Peyton Gonzales pulled down the critical defensive rebound. Gonzales was subsequently fouled and calmly sank a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left to extend the lead to two possessions and seal the victory.

Austin College now heads to next week's conference tournament as the No. 3-seed coming out of the Blue Division, and they'll take on Concordia-Texas, the No. 2-seed from the Gold Division, on 2:00 p.m. on Friday on the campus of this year's host, Hendrix College. The 'Roos and Tornados (20-4 overall, 13-2 in SCAC play) met once this season, with Austin College falling 110-90 in a road contest on February 8.