THOUSAND OAKS, Calif — The Kingsmen were 33 seconds away from advancing to the round of 64, but ultimately fell to Whitworth 78-73 in overtime to end their season in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Friday evening. 

Up 58-56 with 0:33 left, the Kingsmen went to the line with a chance to make it a two-possession game but only converted one out of two free throws to make it 59-56. With the Kingsmen needing one stop to seal it, the Pirates (19-8) knocked down a game-tying three to force overtime. 

Tommy Griffitts scored the first points of the OT frame with a baseline hook shot, but the Pirates would go up by five points 69-64 with 1:37 remaining. The Kingsmen cut the lead to three two separate times in the final minute, but the Pirates went 5-6 from the free throw line down the stretch to end. 

After a historic regular season, the Kingsmen, who received an at-large bid to host the first two rounds of the Tournament, had their run ended tonight. They finished 2023-24 with an overall record of 23-4, including a program-best 19-game win streak that spanned from Dec. 18, 2023, to Feb. 23, 2024.

Tonight, Patrick Renane led the team in scoring with 17 points off the bench. Brock Susko was next with 14 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double with nine, while Griffitts and Devon Lewis both added 10 points.

The Kingsmen used a 16-3 run to establish a 22-15 lead at the 7:34 mark of the first half. Up by as many as nine points, they led for the next 21 minutes of play until the Pirates reclaimed the lead 50-49 with 6 minutes left to play and it was a back-and-forth affair the rest of the way. 

This special Kingsmen squad now says goodbye to its amazing seniors, but has plenty of returning talent gearing up for the 2024-25 season.