Jones drains 25-footer with 1.1 seconds remaining, NKU shocks West Virginia, 77-74
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Eshaunte Jones hit a 25-footer with 1.1 seconds remaining to give Northern Kentucky University a stunning 77-74 victory over West Virginia on Friday night.
West Virginia had tied the game at 74-all on a 3-pointer by Darryl Bryant with 6.3 seconds left. Jones then dribbled the ball up the floor and drained a long 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds on the clock, giving NKU the upset in the exhibition game.
"It was a great effort by our entire team, and what a tremendous shot by Jones at the end," NKU head coach Dave Bezold said. "West Virginia has a great basketball program and one of the top coaches in the nation in Bob Huggins, so this means a lot to our program.
"We showed a lot of composure after West Virginia caught us and tied the game. We played with great effort the entire game, and it's a tremendous win for our program."
NKU led by as many as 17 points in the first half, and the Norse still owned a 73-64 lead with 3:43 to go in the game. West Virginia, however, scored six straight points to slice the NKU lead to 73-70.
The two teams traded free throws, and NKU held a 74-71 lead when Bryant nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key to tie the score at 74-all. That set the stage for Jones, a transfer from Nebraska making his debut with NKU. He took the inbounds pass, beat the West Virginia defense up the court and launched a 25-footer that swished through the net with 1.1 seconds remaining.
West Virginia inbounded the ball, but the Mountaineers were unable to get off a shot as the horn sounded.
Tony Rack led NKU with 21 points, and Jones added 15 points. The Norse were 0-18 all-time in exhibition games against Division I teams going into Friday night.
NKU was 13-for-25 from 3-point range and finished at 54 percent overall from the field. Rack buried six 3-pointers for the Norse, while teammate Jon Van Hoose made four treys and added 12 points.
"Tony Rack hit big shot after big shot," Bezold said. "Rack is a winner, and he was huge in this game."
Chad Jackson scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds for NKU, while teammate DeAndre Nealy added eight points and six boards. Ernest Watson finished with eight points and four rebounds for NKU, which battled to a 28-all draw on the glass with the Mountaineers.
Bryant led West Virginia with 24 points while Kevin Jones added 22 points and seven rebounds. The Mountaineers rallied from a 42-29 halftime deficit by shooting 58.6 percent from the field in the second half.
NKU concludes its exhibition schedule Tuesday with a 7 p.m. game at Cincinnati.