ORLANDO, Fla.– JP Pegues made a 3-pointer with 2.4 secs staying, and also No. 13 seed Furman finished a rally from a 12-point second-half deficiency to hand fourth-seeded Virginia an additional first-round NCAA event loss, 68-67 on Thursday.
Making their very first journey to the NCAA event in 43 years, the Paladins (28-7) progressed to the 2nd round in the South Area, where they will certainly play either fifth-seeded San Diego State or 12th-seeded Charleston on Saturday.
Furman made its very first event berth considering that 1980 by defeating Chattanooga for the Southern Seminar title, topping a season-long pursuit to retrieve itself after shedding the organization’s automated berth to the Mocs on a 35-foot buzzer-beater in in 2015’s Southern last.
In the consequences of that loss, Jalen Slawson and also his buddy, Mike Bothwell, both determined to return for their 5th periods with the Paladins. Slawson took control of the video game when Bothwell fouled out, completed with 19 factors, 10 rebounds and also 4 aids.
Kihei Clark, that starred as a fresher on Virginia’s 2019 nationwide title-winning group, tossed a poor pass that Garrett Hien obstructed at midcourt with 7 secs to go, establishing Pegues’ permission basket, his only 3 of the video game.
Reece Beekman’s deep 3-pointer at the buzzer jumped off the edge and also Virginia (25-8) was removed in the preliminary as the higher-seeded group for the 3rd time in its previous 4 NCAA events– most significantly its loss as a No. 1 seed to 16th-seeded UMBC in 2018. Virginia hasn’t won an NCAA event video game considering that its 2019 accomplishment over Texas Technology for the title.
Kadin Shedrick led the Cavaliers with 15 factors, 13 rebounds and also 4 blocks. Beekman racked up 14 and also Isaac McKneely included 12.
Hien made 2 cost-free tosses with 12.3 secs left and also the Paladins caught Clark in the backcourt. The fifth-year elderly guard tossed the round deep and also right into the hands of Hien, that fed the round to a wide-open Pegues.
Marcus Foster racked up 14 factors, and also Pegues and also Bothwell both do with 11 for Furman.
Virginia matched its most significant lead when McKneely’s 3-pointer made it 50-38 with 11:54 staying. However the Paladins decreased the Cavaliers’ violation and also Slawson made a 3 and also transformed a three-point use successive ownerships to provide Furman its very first lead, 57-54 with 5:02 left.
