COLUMBIA, Ky. -- Junior guard Eric McPherson hit a three-pointer from the top of the key with 4.8 seconds left to break a tie and eventually give the Lindsey Wilson men's basketball team a 79-76 win tonight over Bluefield (Va.) College at Biggers Sports Center.

Following McPherson's three, LWC coach Paul Peck elected not to give Bluefield a chance to send the game into overtime with one shot and instead he told senior guard Quintez Thomas to foul.

"There are so many things that have to happen for them (Bluefield) to force the game into overtime if we foul there," Peck said. "They have to hit the first one, miss the second on purpose and get the rebound and score all in two seconds.

"We just wanted to make things as difficult as possible on them."

Thomas fouled Bluefield's Johnny Witherspoon just shy of midcourt with 2.4 seconds left. Witherspoon made the first and intentionally missed the second. Bluefield's Coryon Ross was able to tap the ball towards the goal but it never seriously threatened the basket and Lindsey Wilson won 79-77.

Lindsey Wilson (1-1) led throughout much of the first half. The Blue Raiders led by as many as nine points on two different occasions before the Rams (0-2) closed to within 33-31 at the break.

In the second half, Lindsey Wilson once again sprinted out to a large lead. The Blue Raiders led by 16 points with 12:37 left before the NAIA Division II No. 15-ranked Rams used another surge.

The Rams outscored the Blue Raiders 19-5 over a five minute span to cut the Lindsey Wilson lead to 58-56 with 7:25 remaining in regulation.

A three-pointer by Bluefield's Omar Reed tied the game for the third at 59-59 with 6:42 left to complete the comeback. Reed finished with a team-high 18 points.

The Blue Raiders push their lead back to six points (70-64) before Bluefield made one final push to tie the game for the fourth and final time at 76-76 with 23.8 seconds left and set up McPherson's heroics.

Junior forward Andrija Tintor scored a career-high 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Junior center Paki Brown was a force on both ends with eight points, five rebounds, four blocks and two steals.

Bluefield's Curtis Dixon finished with 13 points while Coryon and Witherspoon finished with 12 and 10 points respectively.

In the first game of the Lindsey Wilson Classic, No. 18 Campbellsville (Ky.) University defeated Mid-Continent (Ky.) University 78-74.