LOS ANGELES — Oxy freshman big man Andrew Johnson stepped up in a huge way — scoring a career-high 23 points to go along with nine rebounds — and the Occidental men's basketball team had chance to beat a good Milwaukee School of Engineering squad.
But a pair of contested 3-pointers by Oxy star Kris Montoya came up short on the final possession of the game along with the Tigers bid to knock off MSOE in an 84-82, rollercoaster loss at Rush Gymnasium on Monday.
Oxy falls to 5-4 overall. MSOE improves to 9-2.
With 36 seconds left in the game and MSOE up 84-82, 5-foot-10 point guard Chad Tanioka tipped out an offensive rebound on Juwan Rice's missed free throw, giving Oxy the ball and a chance to tie or win.
Out of a timeout, MSOE went to a 2-3 zone. Oxy adjusted nicely and swung the ball around to Montoya for a corner three that missed just short.
The Tigers still had one more chance.
Rice, the do-it-all dirty work guy for the Tigers who finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, picked up his most crucial board of the game with 6 seconds left and was able to find Montoya again on the right wing. But Montoya's second attempt, this time from 23-feet with a hand in his face, grazed the front rim.
"The ball didn't bounce our way tonight," Oxy coach Brian Newhall said. "I'll take that scenario any time. Our best player and leader had a good look that just didn't go down. If he ends up with the ball in his hands and the game on the line, we're going to win a lot more than we're going to lose."
Montoya finished with 11 points and three blocks, despite dealing with foul trouble in both halves.
Johnson picked up the slack. The rookie was 8 of 12 from the field and 7 of 9 from the line, helping Oxy erase a double-digit, second-half deficit.
"AJ had a fantastic game," Newhall said. "23 points and nine rebounds, for a freshman against a quality opponent bodes well for our future."
Rice was good on the glass and defensively, especially in Oxy's press, helping the Tigers force tempo and turnovers.
"Rice is playing excellent basketball," Newhall said. "He has been our most complete player all year long. He defends, rebounds and does all the little things to help you win games."
MSOE's Austin Stueck was the best player on the court though, scoring 29 points in nearly unstoppable fashion, on 11 of 16 shooting. He scored inside, in the mid-range, from the outside and on the glass.
"Tonight was a quality D3 game," Newhall said. "MSOE is well coached and very sound fundamentally. Their star (Stueck) made big plays throughout the game. This should help both teams get ready for league play."
The Tigers got another solid effort from point guards Kory Hamane and Chad Tanioka. Hamane scored eight points, including two threes in the second half, and Tanioka hit a three, grabbed four rebounds and had four assists and no turnovers.
Ty Cobb added six points and four rebounds in 23 minutes off of the bench for Oxy.
The Tigers worst stretch of the game came at the end of the first half and lasted well into the second. Oxy led 37-26 at the 3:53-mark in the first half, but by 14:59 in the second MSOE had jumped out to a 57-44 advantage.
The Tigers have a quick turnaround before their next game on Tuesday at noon against La Sierra.