Gilliam’s 3-pointer at buzzer lifts Hounds

CANYON, Texas — Junior guard John Gilliam capped his first double-double of the season with a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer on Saturday, lifting Eastern New Mexico University’s men past Harding 76-73 in West Texas A&M’s Thanksgiving Classic.

Gilliam’s shot came after junior forward Andraz Kavas tied the game for the ninth time by making two free throws with 15 seconds left for the Bisons. The Greyhounds (4-3) advanced the ball to halfcourt, then inbounded to Gilliam after a timeout and he drained the shot from nearly 30 feet.

Prior to that shot, both teams had gone 7-for-28 from 3-point range. Each team finished with 22 fouls and 14 assists, while Harding (3-3) made 20-of-23 free throws to 18-of-23 for ENMU.

Gilliam scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half, including the team’s final seven in the last 1:03, and led the Hounds to a 42-33 edge on the boards with 10 rebounds.

Junior guard Demetrius Balark added 18 points and junior forward Lawrence Domingo scored 12.

Harding got a career-high 33 points and 10 rebounds from the 6-foot-10 Kavas, while sophomore guard Will Francis hit four 3-pointers and posted a season-high 23 points.

However, no one else had more than five for the Bisons.

Kavas shot 12-of-20 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the foul line, while Francis went 11-for-12 from the line and knocked down four 3-pointers.

It was the second heartbreaker for Harding this weekend. The Bisons led host WT by 16 points with just over five minutes left on Friday, but dropped an 81-80 decision to the Buffaloes on Miles Gatewood’s 3-pointer with five seconds left.

ENMU, meantime, dropped a 74-63 decision on Friday to Emporia State.

Harding struggled mightily from long range in the first half, missing its first 11 3-point tries before Francis hit back-to-back treys to tie the score 34-34. ENMU, with Balark scoring 16 of his points, took a 39-37 halftime lead on junior guard Chris Wyms’ 3-point play with two seconds on the clock.

Harding went on a 6-0 run early in the second half to lead 53-47, but the Hounds countered with a 16-4 surge that included seven points from Gilliam for a 63-57 advantage with seven minutes left.

Down 69-61 with 4 1/2 minutes to go, the Bisons tied the game with eight points in a 70-second span, capped by Kavas’ jumper at the 2:34 mark.

Neither team scored again until Gilliam’s two free throws put ENMU back in front with just over a minute left. Kavas tied it 15 seconds later, then Gilliam’s layup made it 73-71 before Kavas tied it again from the line.

The Hounds play their home opener on Tuesday at Greyhound Arena, hosting Texas-Permian Basin in a 7 p.m. tipoff.