Three times
Andrew Bridger ended a period by hitting two free throws. The first two times, it tied the score. The third time, his shots gave UNO a 98-97 double overtime win over Augustana in the North Central Conference opener at Lee & Helene Sapp Fieldhouse.
Bridger's free throws capped a career-best 30-point night and boosted the No. 12-ranked Mavericks to their sixth straight win. Each team wasted a double-digit lead in the game that featured 11 ties and 13 lead changes. UNO is now 13-1, while Augustana fell to 12-4.
Bridger tied the game at 73 after regulation and at 84 in the first overtime. UNO then went up 93-89 on Bridger's three-point play with 2:17 left in the second extra session. But Augustana's Eric Krogman nailed a pair of three-pointers for a 95-93 Augie lead with 66 seconds remaining.
Justin Petersen gave UNO the lead back with a three from the left corner with 41 seconds left, but again Krogman had the answer with a short jumper with 21 seconds left for a 97-96 Viking lead.
Augustana's Marques Blank fouled Bridger along the baseline and the sophomore guard hit both for the final lead. Augustana, after a timeout with seven seconds left, couldn't get a shot off in the closing moments.
The Vikings stormed to the early lead, pulling ahead by as many as 16 at 32-16 with 8:32 left in the first half. But the Mavericks rallied, closing within 37-33 at intermission.
UNO's momentum carried over into the second half and it mounted a 63-51 lead with 8:57 left in the second. The Vikings whittled away, tying the game on Krogman's three-pointer at 68 with 3:27 left. David Foster gave the Vikings a 73-71 lead in regulation with 1:23 left when he hit one of two free shots. But Bridger tied the game with two free throws with 38 seconds left.
Michael Jenkins missed a shot in the lane with eight seconds left and Augustana failed to connect on a last shot.
In the first overtime, Augustana took an 84-80 lead on Corey McIntosh's layup with 1:17 to play. But Jenkins hit two from the line with 47 seconds left and Bridger tied with a pair of free shots with 29 seconds to play.
Mitch Albers scored 16 points and Jenkins and Petersen each added 12 for UNO.
Krogman also scored 30 points and added a game-high 13 rebounds. Foster added 15 and Blank 14.
UNO is back in action Saturday night at 7 at Sapp Fieldhouse against York.
