LAS VEGAS – The men’s portion of the 2024 Hercules Tires Men’s Basketball Tournament kicked off with a bang with a thrilling overtime game and ended with a shot at the buzzer to rock the crowd on Wednesday at the Orleans Arena.

No. 8 seed California Baptist advanced to the quarterfinal round with a 74-63 overtime upset of No. 5 seed Utah Valley. The Lancers will take on No. 4 seed Seattle U on Thursday at 6 p.m. PT at the Orleans Arena. No. 6 Stephen F. Austin hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to claim a 60-57 victory against No. 7 Abilene Christian. The Lumberjacks will meet No. 3 UT Arlington on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. PT.
 
No. 8 California Baptist 74, No. 5 Utah Valley 63 (OT) (Box Score)
CBU and UVU battled in a back-and-forth affair that saw CBU battle back from a 30-28 halftime deficit to send the game into overtime tied at 60. The Lancers raced ahead for good with a 14-3 advantage in the five-minute extra frame.
 
Blondeau Tchoukuiegno led the way for CBU with 21 points and 10 assists, to go along with three steals over 45 minutes. Yvan Ouedraogo kicked in 14 points and nine rebounds for the Lancers, and Hunter Goodrick matched his total with 14 points and nine boards.

Ethan Potter led all scorers with 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting to power the UVU offense. Drake Allen logged 17 points, five assists and three rebounds.

No. 6 Stephen F. Austin 60, No. 7 Abilene Christian 57 (Box Score)
SFA raced out to a 29-23 lead at the half before ACU shot 53.3 percent in the second half to even the score at 57-all with 13 seconds to play. After a change in possession on either side of the floor, AJ Cajuste buried a game-winning 3-pointer as time expired to send the Lumberjacks to the win.
 
Latrell Jossell led the way for SFA with 17 points to go along with three assists and two steals. Cajuste closed the game with 12 points, and Matt Hayman added 13 points, four boards, two assists and three steals.
 
Ali Abdou Dibba posted a game-high 18 points to lead the way for ACU. Leonardo Bettiol had 12 points and six rebounds and Hunter Jack Madden chipped in 12 points and six assists along with two steals.