The Beacons rallied from a 22-point deficit with just under seven minutes remaining.
Justus McNair hit a shot from midcourt as the horn sounded to give Valparaiso a thrilling 76-73 win over Western Michigan at Kalamazoo on Friday.
HALF-COURT BUZZER BEATER FOR THE WIN! 🚨@ValpoBasketball trailed by 22 points with just 6:51 left 🤯 pic.twitter.com/gqDKXvaEvr
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) December 20, 2024
The buzzer-beating 3-pointer completed a 22-point comeback for the Beacons, who trailed 69-47 after WMU’s Chansey Willis Jr. hit two free throws. Cooper Schwieger followed with a 3 for Valparaiso to begin the rally.
Schwieger was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 1:54 remaining in regulation and knocked down all three free throws to cut the deficit to 73-68. After a WMU miss, McNair hit a 3 to get Valpo to within two points at the 1:31 mark.
Brandon Muntu then missed a 3-pointer for the Broncos. Max Burton got the offensive rebound and was fouled, but missed both free throws and gave Valparaiso an opportunity to tie. Kaspar Sepp‘s layup with 1:06 left tied the score at 73.
The two teams then traded missed shots before WMU’s Donovan Williams attempted a 3 from the wing with five seconds remaining. McNair grabbed the rebound and dribbled to half-court for his game-winning shot.
Schwieger led Valparaiso with 19 points, scoring 17 of them in the second half. He added six rebounds and two blocks. McNair and Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro each tallied 13 for the Beacons, whose record improved to 6–5.
Willis Jr. led WMU with 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Owen Lobsinger followed with 14 and Muntu scored 12 for the Broncos, who dropped to 3-8 with the defeat.
Prior to the win over Western Michigan, Valparaiso had lost three of its past four games, placing them seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference. WMU has lost four consecutive games and is last in the Mid-American Conference. The Broncos next face Michigan State in East Lansing on Monday.
