Virginia State edges Saint Paul's on last-second shot
February 27, 2008
CHARLOTTE, NC - Jamar Fleming hit a 35-foot bank shot as time expired to give Virginia State a dramatic 57-54 victory in the opening game of the CIAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Charlotte Bobcats Arena on Wednesday (Feb. 27).
With the win, the eighth-seeded Trojans (11-17) advance to the quarterfinals to meet top-seeded Virginia Union on Thursday (Feb. 28) at 3 p.m.
The ninth-seeded Tigers (8-17) rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit to tie game at 54-54 on Bruce Royal's three-point shot with 2.9 seconds remaining. The contest appeared headed for overtime before Fleming's turnaround bank shot wowed the fans.
Leon Willis led the way with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting and Fleming had 12 points for the Trojans, who beat the Tigers by 10 and 6 points in the two regular-season meetings. Terrell Crockett contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Trojans.
The Trojans' victory overshadowed an outstanding performance by reserve Anthony Wynn of the Tigers, who had 18 points and 15 rebounds, both game highs. Wynn, who averages 7 points and 5.9 rebounds a contest, was 7-for-9 from the floor and 4-for-6 from the free-throw line. Maurice Reevey added 10 points for the Tigers.
The Trojans scored the first basket of the second half for a 29-15 second-half lead, but the Tigers - shooting 61.5 percent in the second half - slowly chipped away. The Tigers finally tied the game on Royal's three-pointer which set the stage for Fleming's heroics.
The Trojans won despite being outshot from the floor (41.4 percent to 45.7 percent for the Tigers) and outshot from the free-throw line (3-for-9 to 11-for-22 for the Tigers). But the Trojans - who shot 54.5 percent in the second half - forced 22 turnovers and recorded 11 steals including 5 for Edwin Torres.
The Tigers outrebounded the Trojans 39-34 for the game.
In the first half, Willis scored six points and Torres, Trey Mines and Fleming each scored five points to lead a balanced Trojan scoring attack. The Trojans shot 12-of-36 for 33.3 percent from the floor, but forced 15 turnovers, had seven steals and held a 27-19 rebound edge to open a 27-15 halftime lead.
The Tigers were cold from the floor, making 5-of-20 shots for 25 percent including 0-of-4 from three-point range in the first half. Their last field goal of the half was at the 5:20 mark. The Tigers were also 5-of-11 from the free-throw line.
Shahumaad Jones led the Tigers with five points and Wynn contributed four points and six rebounds in the opening half.