tJunior Ty Hendler laid in the buzzer-beater lay-up in overtime to lift Colorado College over Western Colorado 94-92 in the home opener for the Tigers on Friday night at Reid Arena.
 
It's the first time CC has defeated an NCAA Division II opponent since the 2009 season. A 79-72 victory over UCCS in the season opener. 
 
Senior Orion Samikoglu drilled a game-tying three-pointer with 0.4 seconds left in regulation to erase a 23-point deficit and force overtime. CC went on a 31-8 run over the final eight minutes of the second half. 
 
"We talk a lot about belief in our program," head coach Jeff Conarrie said. "Faith to stay the course and do what we do, play hard and compete every possession. We did that tonight.  We weren't our best the entire night, but we found a way to get the job done."
 
CC trailed 82-79 with 4.3 seconds left on the clock in regulation after the Mountaineers converted on a free throw. Russell MacFarlane inbounded the ball to freshman Terrion Benson who dumped it to Samikoglu on the wing. The San Diego native had a defender in his face, but was able to get off a three-pointer that tied the game with 0.3 seconds remaining. 
 
Samikoglu finished the night with 13 points and three three-pointers, a team high. In overtime, CC outshot WCU 4-1 from the floor. The teams traded leads and the Mountaineers were able to make eight free throws in the added time. 
 
CC led 92-89 with 1:16 remaining after senior Asher Nofziger converted on a tip in to make it 92-89 Tigers. WCU sophomore Aidan McDowell was fouled taking a three-pointer with 4.9 seconds remaining. He made all three to tie the game up. 
 
Christian Drummond inbounded the ball to Hendler, who went coast-to-coast, through the Mountaineers' defense, and lay in the game-winning shot as time expired. 
 
Hendler finished with a game-high 22 points, seven rebounds, one assist and one steal. Four Tigers finished in double-digits. Terrion Benson scored 15 points, and added three rebounds, one assist and four steals. 
 
Benson shifted the pulse of the game with back-to-back steals and dunks with 1:59 remaining that pushed the score to 77-73. The Tigers slowly crept back into the game after trailing by 23 points on numerous occasions in the second half. 
 
CC trailed 46-36 at the halftime break, but then outshot WCU 16-14 from the floor in the second hafl and converted on 12 of 15 shots from the charity stripe. 
 
The Tigers finished the game with 21 free throws off 28 attempts (75 percent). They also had nine steals on defense. 
 
CC outscored Western 60-40 from inside the paint. 
 
"Our guys were incredibly resilient and gritty, I'm so proud of them.  Excited to get back to work!  This is going to be a fun team to watch!"
 
The Tigers hit the road next week to take on Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Mich. on Saturday, Nov. 15.