A Thursday afternoon shocker in March Madness!
Up two points with nine seconds to play, the 13-seed Furman Paladins executed a perfect trap play on Virginia Cavaliers guard Kiehi Clark to win the game on a late 3-pointer.
With the ball in his hands, Clark was pressured and made the bizarre decision — Virginia still had a time out — to launch a sidearm pass down the court.
The errant pass went right to Furman forward Garrett Hien.
Hien calmly found sophomore guard JP Pegues with a beautiful outlet pass, who confidently pulled up from three.
Swish.
“All year we’ve been saying that this team just knows how to win. … It’s an unbelievable moment,” Furman coach Bob Richey said.
Furman — located in Greenville, SC — moves on to the Round of 32 with an absolute shocker over the Cavaliers, who came into this game as a four-seed and sizable favorite.
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“I knew G [Garrett] would be looking for me. He looks for me all the time. Team believes in me, they love me. I loved them back,” Pegues said in the postgame interview with CBS. “I had full confidence I missed all night… Winners make big shots and I call myself a winner. I was born for these moments.”
Furman hadn’t made the NCAA Tournament in 43 years.
Now, they are the talk of the first full day of the tournament.
“This team has done a great job making history all year,” fifth-year senior and Southern Conference player of the year Jalen Slawson said, “so you know, Saturday is going to be another chance to make history.”
This is what March is all about.
