BETHANY, Okla. — Aaron Williams Jr. drove into the paint with his left hand from the top of the key Thursday night with under 10 seconds to go and his team trailing by one, converting on a contested game-winning runner off the glass to lift the Oklahoma Panhandle State men's basketball team (6-18, 4-15 SAC) to a 76-75 road victory over Southwestern Christian (7-17, 5-14).
 
The spinning layup from Williams Jr. followed a defensive stand where SCU was called for an offensive foul, and it preceded a desperation three-point attempt by the hosts at the buzzer that clanked off.
 
Despite struggling from beyond the arc and at the charity stripe in the game, the Aggies found offensive success consistently from inside the paint, where they scored 48 points. OPSU totaled 33 field goals made on 52.4% shooting from the floor, both marking season bests.
 
Williams Jr. and Mike Carter made consecutive triples to begin the night, as the sides traded runs on their way to a 20-20 tie after 10 minutes of play. Christian Campbell and Williams Jr. were aggressive attacking the rim during that span, keeping the Aggies' offense churning.
 
Jacob Taitte and Mykel Lindsey aided the positive happenings down low, and a late finish inside from Campbell gave OPSU a 40-37 edge at the half.
 
A back-and-forth contest continued, as Lindsey scored with 12:54 remaining to hand Panhandle State a seven-point lead, only for SCU to tie things up with a 7-0 run that made it 55-55 a minute later.
 
Ja'Vian Baker and Braedyn Ellison came through with a mini scoring punch as the teams continued to trade blows, but eventually the Eagles built a 75-70 cushion with under two minutes to go. Ellison and Williams Jr. scored on the next two possessions, giving SCU the ball for a critical possession with less than 40 seconds left.
 
The rest was history, as Williams Jr. capped a 6-0 run that gave the Aggies their most dramatic win of the season.
 
Williams Jr. scored 18 to lead four Aggies in double figures, with Campbell (15), Carter (12) and Lindsey (10) right behind. Lindsey's 10 points came on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting and a team-high six rebounds. Taitte joined the big man with a perfect 3-for-3 night from the floor.
 
Kensington Grant-Brown expertly ran the offense, collecting seven assists and adding a pair of steals and a block to his line.
 
Coach Charles Belt's Thoughts: "Today was all about will! This team doesn't want the season to just be over. They want to fight until they're told there's no more fight.
 
"I'm proud of them and just wish I had more time with this group."
 
What's up next: The Aggies play their final road game of the season on Saturday at RV Oklahoma City University (16-9, 13-6).