In 1983, Dereck Whittenburg’s 40-foot heave was picked off in mid-air by teammate Lorenzo Charles, who dunked to give N.C. State a shocking win over Houston in the NCAA Tournament finals.
On Wednesday night, playing against Fordham – the team Whittenburg now coaches – the University of Virginia basketball team needed a similar miracle.
UVa, playing without point guard Sean Singletary, trailed the Rams by a basket with 3.4 seconds and needed to go the length of the floor.
The ball was inbounded to J.R. Reynolds, who dribbled behind his back to elude a defender near the half-court line, then took a running shot from about three feet behind the 3-point line.
The ball bounced off the rim, giving the Rams a 62-60 win in front of a crowd of 6,328 at University Hall.
