A BUZZER-BEATING tip-in from Mitchell Barry saw McKinnon win one of the games of the Big V Championship Men’s season, defeating Melbourne University by a point at GESAC.

In a topsy-turvy contest filled with twists, it took until the very last touch to determine the outcome, which went the way of the Cougars, 95-94.

Both teams came into the match with very little between them, and by the end of the game, the sixth placed Cougars were just 1.8 per cent off the Black Angels.

Both teams had dominant patches of play throughout the match, with McKinnon looking home and hosed heading into the final term, but Melbourne University had other ideas.

Initially the home side raced out to a 32-25 lead at quarter time off the back off an impressive 66.7 per cent three-points shooting efficiency and looking good in the paint. Melbourne University responded with an equally high-scoring 32-19 term to head into half-time with a 57-51 advantage.

The Black Angels had shot lights out in the second quarter with a sizzling 85.7 per cent two-point shooting efficiency and 62.5 per cent three-point clip.

While unlikely to repeat those kind of numbers again, few would have seen them dip to make just one in four from inside the arc, and nothing from outside it, in the third quarter.

As it would happen, the Cougars dominated inside the paint, putting up 22 points and going on a run of 12 straight points during a 27-9 quarter. By the final break, the lead was 78-66 in what had been the most incredible turnaround. But the game was not done yet.

Both teams went at it in the last term, and though the Cougars were competitive on offence, the Black Angels took control and piled on another 28 points. In the last minute of the game, a three-pointer from Nathan Davis put the home side up 93-89 making life difficult for Melbourne University.

Sticking to the task, Isaac Turner nailed two three throws, and then, after Deng Agoth and Joe Lubarsky both missed long-range chances to seal the game for the Cougars, Matthew Roseby rebounded it off the defensive board, went up the other end and drained a triple off a Joel Rimes assist.

With 11 seconds on the clock, the Black Angels lead by one. McKinnon had to be clever with clock management, knowing any basket would do, and it was handed to Davis with a three-point attempt. It missed, but was collected by Barry off the rebound to tip it in as the buzzer sounded.

McKinnon had won by the narrowest of margins, and in one of the most incredible ways. Though Melbourne University had fought back to close the gap, the Black Angels had ultimately fallen short of victory.

Though Davis missed his final three-pointer, he did drain eight of 14 from two-point range, and managed 32 points for the match, as well as 12 rebounds and three assists.

Barry himself had 22 points, five rebounds and three assists, with three of six from long-range. Agoth (10 points, three rebounds) and Jordan Vandenberg (13 points, eight rebounds and five assists) were also crucial players.

For the Black Angels, Turner hit 32 points – including three of seven from long-range – and four assists, while Roseby (21 points, seven rebounds) was also dangerous from inside and outside the arc. Rimes (18 points, seven assists) was critical in dishing off dimes in the tight loss.

McKinnon hosts third placed Wyndham back at GESAC this weekend, while Melbourne University travels to Rowville Secondary College to take on fourth placed Keysborough.