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Damaris Garcia

Sohn, Trailblazers Stun No. 18 Langston on miracle Buzzer-Beater

2/7/2025 1:39:00 AM

By: nathanyacovissi
Box Score LANGSTON, Okla. – In a season full of incredible moments already, the University of North Texas at Dallas men's basketball team added another with perhaps its greatest and the most improbable highlight, after an upset at No. 18 Langston on Thursday night. Knotted 64-64, the Trailblazers prevented the Lions from getting a game-winning attempt off as junior Sergio McClain (Peoria, Ill.) stopped the inbound lob inside the paint and directed the ball to junior Daniel Sohn (Aledo, Texas), who had a desperation heave approaching half-court as time expired. The ball was released in time before the buzzer and the last-chance shot went in the netting to sink Langston, who never trailed once during the game until that miracle three gave the Trailblazers a 67-64 triumph.
Besides having a stunning finish, the Trailblazers grinded all night against a nationally ranked NAIA team on the road and at a place where their opposition held a 7-1 record entering the game. While UNTD often has a small rotation in the lineup most games, it was a short-handed night for the Trailblazers with seven players entering and six playing at least 23 minutes. Senior duo Jayden Johnson-Blair (Dallas, Texas) and Vernon Johnson (DeSoto, Texas) each played the entire 40 minutes, while classmate Demaryon Thornton (Chicago, Ill.) played a season-high 37 minutes. UNTD fell behind 10 points (35-25) at halftime as trailed as many as 15 points in the second half.
 
Even after going on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 58 with about five and a half minutes, UNTD faced adversity again with top scorer on the team, junior Greg Crawford (Houston, Texas) fouling out a couple plays later.
 
Crawford notched his 14th double-double on the campaign with 13 points and 10 rebounds. While Crawford wasn't the team's top scorer tonight, he did have nine by halftime and is usually a top threat to give the team scoring in crucial stretches of the game. His disqualification came with over four minutes left in regulation and left the Trailblazers with just five regulars that the majority had amassed long minutes against an athletic and talented Langston group.
 
The Lions were on top the entire night, jumping ahead with the first five points of the game. UNTD responded and kept the game tight most of the opening stanza, trailing by a point (13-12) and by two points on multiple occasions. The Lions put together their biggest run of the first in the last five minutes, as an 8-0 run propelled them to a nine-point lead in the final minute. A trey by Amord Lado in the closing seconds pushed the margin to 10 points.
 
LU came out draining shots in the second half, with seven of the first nine points going its direction to result in a 15-point spread (42-27). The Trailblazers never allowed the margin to widen and worked to keep the deficit between 10 and 13 points. Just under the midway juncture, senior Jayden Johnson-Blair hit a trey to slash the deficit to 10 points (56-46) again. That triple sparked a 15-2 scoring stretch for UNT Dallas to turn the tide of the game. Sohn had a free throw and Thornton converted on a three-point play to make it a 56-50 game. Johnson-Blair followed a made Langston basket with a trifecta. McClain followed on a trey of his own and the forward took over on the next play with the tying basket (58-all) and 5:42 left. Langston countered with a couple of free throws on different trips, but McClain had a crucial second chance basket with a minute left and the game tied at 64.
 
The Lions missed the next chance to score with a missed shot and then a turnover being charged with 38 seconds left. The Trailblazers got an inside shot by Johnson, who missed just right on the edge of the rim. Sohn snatched the offensive rebound and his follow-up shot was also no good. Langston recovered the rebound and had less than 10 seconds to play. After a timeout with the ball just past mid-court, the Trailblazers snuffed out a lob pass on the in-bounds play to try and get a close basket or draw a foul with a chance at the line. With about five seconds remaining in regulation, UNTD guarded the long pass towards a post player and prevented the successful completion. McClain deflected the ball down and found Sohn to take a few dribbles was able to launch the dramatic bucket from deep and prevent another overtime showdown.
 
Johnson-Blair tallied a team-high 16 points and shot 6-of-9 from the field and 4-of-6 from three. Johnson-Blair added three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Johnson added 14 points, six rebounds, and dished four assists. McClain scored 13 points and grabbed six boards from the bench.
 
Sohn etched six points but had a perfect 1-for-1 on shot attempts beyond the three-point line. He also drilled the game-winning shot.
 
UNT Dallas made eight three-pointers, which ties the season-most a fourth time on the year. The Trailblazers shot a blistering 56 percent (14-25) from the field in the second half. This included 6-of-9 from three. The team won the battle on the glass, 39-31. Neither team had many miscues, with the Trailblazers committing 11 turnovers and Langston committing six. UNTD held a slight edge 14-10 on second chance points.
 This is the Trailblazers first win at Langston since the inaugural meeting between the teams in 2021-22. On Jan. 6, 2022, Langston was edged 65-48 for the only win by UNTD at Langston. This started a three-game winning streak over the years, but Thursday's win will put the programs with a 4-4 all-time series mark.
 
UNT Dallas improves to 11-12 on the season and 8-12 in Sooner Athletic Conference play. Langston drops to 17-6 and 13-6 in conference play. The Trailblazers remain tied for eighth in the league standings with Oklahoma Panhandle State. The tiebreaker favors OPSU, but there are a few weeks left to determine the final spots.
 
Next up will be a crucial match-up with seventh place Central Christian on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
 
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