NAMPA, Idaho – Things looked pretty bleak for the Northwest Nazarene men's basketball team midway through the second half Saturday.

The Nighthawks had just given up a 15-0 run and trailed by 16 points.

It certainly looked like a big home crowd was going to go to waste, but the Nighthawks rallied behind stellar defense, some fancy finishing and overall gritty play to defeat Western Oregon 89-87 in overtime.

The win secures a second consecutive berth in the GNAC tournament.

"It's just fun, that's the only way to describe it," said George Reidy, who had the game-winner in overtime. "I love the student community coming out and supporting us. We had a lot of doubters this season. We just kept fighting and trusting in the process day by day and secured that playoff spot at home in front of all these people.

"I can't think of a better night."
 

NNU (15-8 overall, 12-6 GNAC) erased a 16-point deficit in the second half and a four-point deficit with less than two minutes to play in overtime.

"When we made our run, it was the crowd that really pushed us over the edge," NNU coach Paul Rush said. "The energy they brought helped us win that game."

After a putback by Western Oregon's Cameron Cranston made it 87-83 with 1 minute, 48 seconds remaining, the Nighthawks closed on a 6-0 run.

Olamilekan Adetunji missed a layup in traffic and the ball bounced off a scrum out of bounds and was initially ruled in Western Oregon's favor. Instant replay overturned that and Ezekiel Alley made a tough layup and the free throw for a three-point play to cut the lead to 87-86.

Jayden Bezzant then stole the ball near halfcourt and kicked it ahead to Reidy who laid it in for the lead. Western Oregon then missed a layup at the other end and Alley split a pair of free throws to finish the scoring.

"That was really fun," Alley said. "I love the seniors and I wanted to get the win for them. I love NNU and we want to get a GNAC championships, so it was really fun."

The GNAC tournament is scheduled for March 5-7 at Seattle Pacific. The Nighthawks remain tied for second in the conference with Western Washington.
 

Alley scored a game-high 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting and was 6-of-7 from the line. Adalberto Diaz added 22 points and seven rebounds, Reidy had 16 and Adetunji had nine points, nine rebounds and three blocks.

"Like I always say, this is a resilient group," Diaz said. "We love each other and we are playing for each other and every single guy trusts each other. I know we lost a lot of scoring from last year, but I think the biggest difference this year is that we love each other and play for each other."

Western Oregon started out on fire from beyond the arc, leading by as many as 10 in the first half. After the Nighthawks fought back and the teams went back and forth early in the second half, Western Oregon went on its big run.

The Wolves led 51-50 with 17:32 left in the game and then went on a 15-0 run to take a 66-50 lead with 11:12 to go.

Bezzant stopped the bleeding with a 3-pointer, but the Wolves responded with a jumper to make it 68-53.

The Nighthawks then went on a 16-0 run to take the lead.

Reidy had a steal and a layup, Gabriel Murphy made a free throw, Alley made back-to-back jumpers, Diaz hit a shot in the paint and a 3-pointer to make it 68-65 with 5:36 to go.

Reidy then made a layup and Alley a tough shot in the lane to give NNU a 69-68 lead with 4:39 remaining.

"We know that what sets our team apart is the ability to get stops in a row," Reidy said. "We all came together and said that is how we are going to get back in this. Not by scoring with them or trying to outscore them, but by focusing on the defensive end."

The Wolves went back up 76-72 with 2:08 left, but Diaz made three free throws, Reidy had an alley-oop layup in transition off a pass from Alley and Diaz made two more free throws to send the game to overtime tied at 79-79.

"I don't think a single guy on that bench thought we were going to lose," Diaz said. "We just focused on getting stops. That's what has been our identity this season."

Dalven Brushier's 23 points led Western Oregon (17-7, 11-7).

The Nighthawks hit the road to close out the regular season, playing at Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Saint Martin's on Saturday.