Tigers lose heartbreaker to Huskies in final second

Heartbreaking.

That's about the only word you can use to describe the feeling in the Tigers dressing room right now.

Both teams came out flying out of the gate, wanting to earn four points and beat their cross-town rivals. Jeremy McAvoy hit a three at the end of the first quarter to give the Huskies a 15-14 lead after ten minutes of play.

The second quarter was a defensive battle, and the Tigers were sloppy with the ball, committing 24 turnovers on the night. The Huskies outscored the Tigers 18-6 and led by nine going into half.

Rick Plato's halftime talk must have worked, because the Tigers came out firing in the third quarter.

The Tigers went on a 14-0 run to start the second half and were playing well at both ends of the court, moving the ball well and causing turnovers all quarter long. The Tigers outscored the Huskies 25-13 in the quarter and led 47-44 going into the final frame.

Down 68-67 with only seconds remaining, Devon Stedman was fouled and headed to the line to shoot free throws to potentially ice the game for the Tigers.

The first shot went up, rattled around the rim, and dropped to the floor as the Dalplex fell silent.

The second shot went up, clanged off the back rim, and the Huskies grabbed the rebound, made their free throws and won their sixth game of the year and improve to 6-1 on the season.

The Tigers now sit 1-6 and are seventh in the AUS. They've lost four games by less than four points and simply haven't been able to close out games.

Stedman led the Tigers with 17 points and 7 boards. Guard Ritchie Kanza-Mata had eight points, four assists and five steals on the night.

Theon Reefer had a game-high 30 points for the Huskies, including many high-flying dunks that got the crowd on their feet.

Both teams now head into the holiday break, with the Huskies looking to continue their winning ways, while the Tigers will try to salvage their season in the second half.