Tied at 72 points with just a little over two seconds left, Paul Jesperson lobbed the ball from half court, sinking it as the buzzer sounded.
Advertisement
Jesperson, who transferred from Virginia to Northern Iowa, helped his team earn only their fifth NCAA tournament win in the school’s history. Texas will have to settle for the first-round exit in Shaka Smart’s first season at the helm, while Northern Iowa will face No. 3 seed Texas A&M on Sunday.
Even as Northern Iowa fought back to retake the lead, Texas took each blow and responded.
Washpun wasn’t the only one talking about Jesperson deserving it. Bohannon, who joked he ought to have gotten an assist on the shot, added to the praise.
UNI posted a seven-point possession midway through the first half on the way to a double-digit lead.
Paul Jesperson’s half-court shot at the buzzer for Northern Iowa. “I’m just glad that one went in”. “He’s a tremendous young coach, he’s proven himself and I think the best is yet to come”. No shot could have been more flawless to win this game. “But, yeah, when it went in, I looked at my parents, I saw my brother there, both my brothers, and I was extremely happy and grateful that that thing went in”. Then they stomped through the American Athletic Conference championships, winning four straight – and making 90.9 percent of their foul shots in the process – to clinch a spot in the N.C.A.A. tournament. Washpun is not a terrific perimeter shooter himself, but he goes to the rim with bad intentions. Northern Iowa opted not to take a timeout. The Panthers had built a 16-point lead in the first half, only to see it melt away. The No. 11 seed Panthers (23-12) upset No. 6 seed Texas (20-13) by a score of 75-72 in Oklahoma City and sent shock waves throughout the college basketball world. This was the first contest between UNI and Texas, however Smart had a 2-1 record versus the Panthers while he was at VCU.
Super Bowl Champion and UNI Alum Kurt Warner is once again with the Panthers as they get ready for their appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In the Missouri Valley tourney, they were tied in the final minute of all three games.
Advertisement
House was eight of 12 from the field and hit a pair of 3-pointers for Texas A&M, which shot 56.1 percent (32 of 57) in a comfortable victory over the 14th seed.
