Baltimore – UMBC graduate student guard DJ Armstrong Jr. made a buzzer-beater three-pointer in overtime, securing a 71-70 victory for the UMBC men's basketball team against the Wagner Seahawks on Sunday afternoon at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena.
 
Armstrong Jr., who also hit a game-winning three-pointer with just one second left against Morgan State this past Tuesday, received the inbounds pass, dribbled once to his right, and launched an off-balance shot from the left wing that went through the net.

"It felt good right out of my hand," Armstrong Jr. admitted. "I wasn't making my shots down the stretch today, but I trust my work. I put a lot of work in. When I saw the rim, I was confident that I could make it. It was tough to get that shot off, but coach {Ferry} said in the timeout that we had time to get a good shot."
 
Senior guard Jah'Likai King led the hosts with a game-high 21 points as UMBC improved to 3-1. Sophomore forward Caden Diggs achieved his first career double-double, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Armstrong Jr. contributed with 12 points and six assists.

"It just became a rock fight at the end, said UMBC head coach Jim Ferry. "Both teams were making play after play. You have to give Wagner credit, and I certainly give our guys credit. I'm really proud of their ability to grind through this and fight through this game."
 
With 1:22 left in overtime, UMBC was trailing 68-66 after Eddie Placer of Wagner made a free throw.
 
Diggs responded with a driving layup to tie the game at 68-68 with 1:02 remaining. However, Binaei Basil scored in the paint to give the Seahawks a 70-68 lead with 33 seconds left on the clock.
 
After a timeout, King missed a layup and a jumper. Nick Jones grabbed the rebound for Wagner with just 1.8 seconds remaining, only to be called for a traveling violation.
 
The Retrievers used their final timeout to set up the game-winning play. King positioned himself on the baseline and found Armstrong for the decisive shot.
 
UMBC initially took a 15-6 lead six minutes into the game, but Wagner responded with a 17-7 run to take a 23-22 lead with 4:08 left in the first half.
 
Wagner (0-4) held a 32-28 advantage at halftime and outscored the Retrievers 9-4 in the first 3:24 of the second half, extending their lead to 41-32.
 
UMBC faced a 10-point deficit at two points during the game, the last being 51-41 with 11:06 left in regulation.
 
The Retrievers then went on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 51-49 with 6:37 remaining. Fifth-year senior Cougar Downing came off the bench to hit two crucial three-pointers during this stretch.
 
Diggs finally gave UMBC their first lead of the second half at 54-53 after hitting a free throw with 3:38 left.
 
Wagner responded and led 58-57 with 1:30 remaining, following a jumper by Placer.
 
King then made an acrobatic layup and converted a free throw after being fouled, putting UMBC ahead 60-58 with 38 seconds left.
 
Jones was fouled with 14 seconds remaining and made two free throws to tie the game. After another timeout, Armstrong Jr. attempted a jumper at the buzzer but missed, sending the game into overtime.
 
Jones led Wagner with 20 points, while Basil added 14 points and seven rebounds.
 
UMBC will travel to George Washington on Wednesday evening.