NAMPA, Idaho - Northwest Nazarene men's basketball won the game of the year on Saturday's Senior Night, outlasting #21 Saint Martin's 68-59 in an overtime thriller.
 
The Nighthawks finish the regular season at 17-9 overall and 13-5 in GNAC play, completing the gauntlet with a .722 conference win percentage that is the best in NNU's history in the GNAC. NNU has also now won nine of their last 11 contests.
 
With the win, NNU secures the two-seed in next week's GNAC Tournament in Ellensburg. The Nighthawks will receive a bye into the semifinals on Friday night, where they will play the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between these same Saints (3-seed) and 6-seed Alaska Anchorage.
 
NNU exploded out of the gates for eight unanswered points, as Ryzin Bergersen nailed two triples and Gabriel Murphy threw down an emphatic dunk to put the Nighthawks up 8-0 just two minutes into the game.
 
Saint Martin's quickly responded, though, going on a 10-2 run to even the score. The Saints were strong for the rest of the first half, eventually going into the break up 12, 36-24.
 
SMU opened the second half scoring to take their largest lead of the game at 14 and would still lead by that margin, 42-28, at the 16:54 mark.
 
The Nighthawks would then find their spark, going on an 11-0 run that was capped by a three-pointer from Nathan Perez that cut the deficit to 42-39 with 10:30 to go. The run grew to a 17-2 spread three minutes later after a steal and score from Rayzhon Bergersen gave NNU their first lead since early in the game at 45-44.
 
The teams traded blows down the stretch of regulation, with NNU still clinging to a one-point lead, 52-51, in the final minute. Saint Martin's had an opportunity to take the lead with two free throws with three seconds left, but Tyke Thompson went 1-2 at the line to send the game into overtime.
 
Tru Allen took over at the start of the extra period, converting an and-one, hitting a jumper, and making two free throws for a 7-3 run that put NNU up 59-55 at the 2:31 mark. Biggie Bergersen then tipped an SMU pass on the next possession and took it all the way to the basket for the dunk to make it a six-point game.
 
The Nighthawks controlled the ball and made their free throws from there, taking the thrilling 68-59 victory.
 
Biggie Bergersen led NNU with 15 points, six rebounds, and five steals. Allen notched 12 points, four assists, and three steals, while Gabe Murphy tallied eight points, nine boards, and three blocks.
 
Aaron Murphy added eight points and eight rebounds, while Nathan Perez went 3-6 from deep for nine points.
 
As mentioned, NNU will head to the campus of Central Washington University next weekend for the GNAC Championships, looking to defend their 2023 conference tournament title.
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