BURNABY, B.C. – Jayden Bezzant hadn't played an organized game of basketball in nearly 10 months.

He made the most of his return Thursday night, though, hitting a game-winning 3-pointer with eight seconds left to give the Northwest Nazarene men's basketball team a 74-71 victory at Simon Fraser.

"Everybody knew whether he took the shot or not, that is whose hands we wanted the ball in," NNU coach Paul Rush said. "He is the guy we want in that situation – whether he passes or shoots it. It was awesome."

Bezzant, who sat out first semester ineligible, scored 11 points on the night after getting the start at point guard. The win was the first in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play for the Nighthawks (4-4 overall, 1-2 GNAC) and it was the Clan's first loss.

"I don't think the stat line for JB was reflective of his impact on the game," Rush said. "He just draws so much attention and is such a dynamic player and changes what the defense is doing and how they are guarding stuff. It makes the game easier for other guys."

Simon Fraser (12-2, 2-1) had the ball with 36 seconds left, but missed a layup and Bezzant grabbed the rebound with 17 seconds remaining. He dribbled down and hit a high-arcing 3-pointer from the top of the key to put NNU on top.

The Clan's Jasdeep Singh then missed a contested 3-pointer for the tie and the Nighthawks earned the victory.

Ezekiel Alley and George Reidy each had 16 points, while Adalberto Diaz added 15 points and eight rebounds. Sam Roth had seven points and four rebounds and Olamilekan Adetunji had four points and 10 rebounds.

The win ended a four-game losing streak for the Nighthawks.

NNU led throughout, including 59-48 with 13:13 remaining in the game. Simon Fraser went on a 14-2 run to take a 62-61 lead with 7:59 to go. The teams traded baskets the rest of the way until Bezzant got the final word.

"It was great to see them handle that adversity and trust in their toughness," Rush said. "We haven't been who we are and they really wanted to show tonight who they are. I think they did that."

Bezzant has always been a big-time shot maker for the Nighthawks. He had a game-tying buzzer beater in a win against Alaska Anchorage as a sophomore and scored 30 points to help erase a 27-point second-half deficit in a comeback win at Montana State Billings last season.

His return was just in time for the Nighthawks, who had been struggling to shoot the ball consistently this season. He also gives much needed depth to the rotation.

NNU plays at Western Washington at 8 p.m. MST on Saturday before returning home to host Central Washington at 7 p.m. Tuesday.