COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. –Kyle Howard hit a game-winning pull-up jumper with one second remaining to give the Southwestern University Pirates a 66-65 victory over the Colorado College Tigers to open conference play.
Colorado College's Jack McRoskey missed from the free-throw line on the front end of a one-and-one opportunity with 10 seconds remaining.
Howard calmly made the most of every second, using a slight hesitation dribble to bring defender Scott Cunningham out of his stance, setting up a solid Trenton Garrett screen. With big man Cooxooeii Black stepping up to meet Howard, the Pirates' point guard gave one final quick burst of speed to force a retreat, catching Black mid-stride to create space for the short, pull-up jumper.
The Southwestern starting backcourt of Howard and Luke Hicks combined for 27 points as two of the three Pirates to finish in double figures, along with Kyle Poerschke, who poured in 10 points off the bench.
Howard did most of his damage in the first half, scoring 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting with two rebounds and one assist as the Pirates shot 54.8 percent from the field, including 4-for-10 from deep, to take a 38-37 lead at the break.
Colorado College controlled the pace with the strong post presence of Black, who scored 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting in the first half. Reserve DeAnte' Dennis also reached double figures before the break, scoring 10 points on nine shots off the bench.
Hicks paced the Pirates in the second half, scoring 12 of his team-high 15 points on 4-for-11 shooting after the break, hitting two 3-pointers and grabbing three rebounds over the final 20 minutes. Black continued his dominant play for Colorado College, scoring 13 second-half points on 5-for-6 shooting, finishing with 27 points (on 12-for-16 shooting) with six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks.
In a game with three ties, 17 lead changes, and a scoring margin that extended no further than a seven-point disparity, the Pirates' depth (28-19 advantage in bench scoring) and Colorado College's free-throw woes (8-for-14) proved to be the difference, along with Howard's heroics.
With the win, the Pirates improve to 5-3 for the season, including 1-0 in conference play. Colorado College drops to 2-5 and 0-1. Southwestern will face Johnson & Wales University (Denver) tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.
