Ecstatic Basketball Announcer Mistakes Tying Shot for Game-Winner (Video)

Northern Arizona forced overtime against visiting Weber State, but the play-by-play commentator thought the hosts had won.

Northern Arizona’s Liam Lloyd hit a crucial buzzer-beating three-pointer during Monday night’s tilt against Weber State, tying the game 76-76 and forcing overtime. However, play-by-play commentator Mitch Strohman seemed to think the circumstances were just a bit different.

Apparently not realizing that NAU was trailing by three points at the time of the shot, Strohman went into hysterics celebrating what he thought was a game-winner. 

He caught on to his mistake rather quickly, however, and his excitement hilariously trailed off mid-sentence as he realized the game was headed to overtime.

“Here’s the shot. Lloyd, for the win… Bang! I can’t believe it! The Lumberjacks have … the Lumberjacks have tied the game,” Strohman said on the ESPN+ broadcast. 

LIAM LLOYD (@LiamLl0yd) WITH THE BUZZER BEATER 3 TO FORCE OT FOR NAU. This one is not giving any extra time and NAU is going to OT with Weber State knotted at 76-76 pic.twitter.com/9FrKy9pW3N

— NCAA Buzzer Beaters & Game Winners (@NCAABuzzerBters) February 28, 2023

Unfortunately for the Lumberjacks, they weren’t able to pull out an overtime victory, ultimately losing, 90-89. For a moment, Strohman, and probably some fans, had thought NAU had pulled off a buzzer-beating victory, but ultimately, the shot was only enough to force an extra period. 

Despite getting the call wrong, it’s difficult to knock Strohman for the energy he brought to the play. Had that actually been a game-winner, it would have had been commentated to perfection. 

NAU’s loss to Weber State saw the Lumberjacks drop to 9-22 on the season. They had won the two games prior to Monday’s showdown but ultimately fell just short of a three-game winning streak.