In the last game at Moody Coliseum this year, SMU sophomore point guard Nic Moore had perhaps the most magical moment of the season.

Moore hit a game winning three-pointer for the Mustangs with under 10 seconds left to play to beat California and advance out of the quarterfinals of the NIT.

Moore finished the game with 11 points on four for 11 shooting in a game where he struggled early, but came alive in the second half. Moore also had three assists and only two turnovers against Cal guard Justin Cobbs.

Cobbs was second in the Pac-12 in assists this year and ninth in scoring. He finished the game with 18 points and seven assists, but it was Moore who led his team to victory with his clutch play.

Moore logged 37 minutes for the Mustangs and was the team’s primary ball handler on offense all night. He did a lot of great things defensively, including drawing a couple offensive fouls, and playing off the emotional Moody Coliseum crowd in the
second half.

This season, Moore has averaged a team-high 13.6 points and 4.9 assists while shooting 47 percent from the field and 45 percent from three. Moore was voted first-team American Athletics Conference and Head Coach Larry Brown has talked all season about how the little point guard has been his coach on the floor.

“This was the highlight of the season for me,” Brown said after the game. “Nic had just missed a three and I wasn’t real happy with his shot selection. We had a great shooter make a big shot and not be afraid of it. It was really great for our seniors, Nick Russell and Shawn Williams, after how the season ended disappointingly.”

With that victory, SMU finishes the season 12-1 at Moody Coliseum and will advance to play in the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden next week. The Mustangs are set to take on Clemson, who is 23-12 and beat Belmont by five in the quarterfinals Tuesday night.