It was heartbreak for the SMS Bears in St. Louis Monday night. Their hopes of an NCAA berth were dashed in a 79-74 double-overtime loss to Northern Iowa in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament finals. SMS forced overtime after erasing a 14-point deficit in the final 11 minutes of the second half and the score was tied 51-51 at the end of regulation. The two teams were still deadlocked at 62-62 after the first overtime. In double overtime, Ben Jacobson hit two three-pointers for UNI to help put it away. Jacobson, who was named the tournament MVP, finished with a game-high 26 points. Merrill Andrews had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Bears, but also committed seven turnovers. With the loss, SMS is 19-14 and will now pin its post-season hopes on an NIT bid. Last season, they just missed an invitation to the NIT with 17 victories.
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