On Saturday the Pioneer men’s basketball team played an interesting game, to say the least. They led the game by three at halftime and would eventually lead by double digits partway through the second half.

However, struggles at the free-throw line in the second half allowed UW-Stout to claw their way back into the contest and eventually tie the game with 33 seconds left in the game. At that point it was almost as if the game had restarted at zero and it was going to come down to the last possession of the game to decide who was going to win the game.

Men’s college basketball has a 35-second shot clock, so with 33 seconds left and the Pioneers set to inbound the ball, they had the opportunity to kill time and take the last shot.

Curt Hanson brought the ball up the court for the Pioneers. The All-American and 20-point-a-game scorer, who had just taken a brutal fall slamming his right elbow into Bo Ryan Court, was the Pioneer every fan in the crowd thought would take the last shot.

As the crowd waited to see Hanson create his shot they may or may not have noticed head coach Jeff Gard say something to Nick Allen.

A split second later Hanson put the ball into the hands of Allen and saw his teammate drive in the lane and realize that he would not be able to get all the way to the rim. Allen proceeded to step back and put up a tough jump shot from just inside the free-throw line.

As the ball hit the rim and rolled around for what seemed like 10 minutes, everybody in Williams Fieldhouse waited and held their breath to see if Allen could get the shot to fall.

The ball eventually went through the net and as the crowd erupted UW-Stout inbounded the ball with every hope of having a last second shot that would give them the win. Eric Hostetter, the leading scorer in the game, got a great look at the basket but could not get the shot to fall and the clock struck zero.

Nick Allen, a third-year starter and a player that has been known for being unselfish, hit a game-winning shot and made the best play of his career. The Pioneers have two games remaining and they are both at Bo Ryan Court. As a broadcaster for WSUP and a fan of Pioneer basketball, I can only hope that the next two games provide as much excitement as Saturday’s game.