UNI wins MVC Tournament on Washpun buzzer-beater

ST. LOUIS – For about 1.5 seconds during Sunday's Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship game, time seemed to slow to a crawl.

Northern Iowa guard Wes Washpun had crossed over, stepped back to his right, and let go a jumper over Evansville's D.J. Balentine. As his shot bounced off the back iron and above the backboard, Scottrade Center went silent while everyone waited to see if it would fall.

Did Jeremy Morgan, an All-MVC Tournament Team member who stood to Washpun's right, watching with wide eyes, have any doubt the shot would fall?

'Not at all, man. I knew it was going in the whole time.'

Did Klint Carlson, another All-MVC Tournament Team member, who stood in front of the basket?

'I saw it bounce up, and I was like, 'Oh, that's going in.' I turned around to find Wes and hopefully tackle him to the ground.'

How about the man himself?

'It looked good. It was a little long, but it was still straight and my dad always told me to aim for the back of the rim. And that's what I did,' Washpun said. 'It's definitely the (longest moment). I was just staring at it, hoping it would go in.'

Carlson and Washpun got their wish. The Most Outstanding Player of the tournament saw his shot fall through the net, and a season in which the Panthers reached the highest of highs and some pretty low lows was extended by a few weeks. Washpun's teammates and fans from the student section behind the hoop mobbed him on the far end of the court.

UNI downed Evansville, 56-54, on Washpun's buzzer beater to take back-to-back Arch Madness crowns, and ensure back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament.

Arch Madness Finish What. A. Game.Missouri Valley Conference on Sunday, March 6, 2016

What. A. Game.

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As Coach Ben Jacobson soaked in the enormity of that shot going in and his team's victory, he heard the words 'NCAA Tournament' spoken during his news conference. His response, barely audible, was almost involuntary as he shook his head side to side.

'The NCAA Tournament. Man oh man, oh man.'

The reaction was one of knowing exactly what those words mean to a program like UNI, and exactly what it takes to make it happen.

'It's just so hard to get there. So many things have to go right in order to play in the NCAA Tournament,' Jacobson said. 'Just, again, the understanding of how a lot of things have to go well. Six weeks ago, they were not going well. So to sit here right now and see these guys smiling and feeling good about who they are and the opportunity to go and play in the NCAA Tournament, man, I just think it's great.'

The championship game played out in mirror image to UNI's Arch Madness triumph last year, in which the Panthers (22-12, 11-7 MVC) had to rally from down 18 to Illinois State to win. It also played out in much a similar way to the regular season.

UNI started out on a tear, holding a 32-18 lead at halftime, and its largest lead at 35-18 just after the start of the second half. But Evansville, which UNI beat by a collective seven points in its three victories, came back on the strength of hot shooting and quick curls off screens from Jaylon Brown and D.J. Balentine – both of whom were named to the All-MVC Tournament Team.

Hlas: UNI's consistent excellence shines again

The Panthers had to weather that storm to get to the final shot just like they had to weather losing six of seven in the early part of the conference season. They had to stick together on Sunday just like they had to in January.

Compared to how smooth it went in 2014-15, having come out the other side like they did and back up the conference title makes this one all the sweeter.

'Last year, when it all rolls, it's a lot easier. But to fight through some adversity and still come out on top, you can't even describe what it means,' Washpun said. 'This group of guys is the best group of guys I could have ever asked to go through my senior year with.'

After Balentine tied the game at 54-54, Jacobson elected not to take a timeout.

Just like no one on the court had any doubt the shot would fall, there was absolutely no doubt who'd have the ball in his hands for that final play. Jacobson saw the situation in front of him, and found himself totally comfortable.

'We knew what matchup we wanted. We knew what we were going to do. And he's been in that situation enough that he was going to take the last shot,' Jacobson said. 'It was either going to go in at the horn, or it wasn't and we were going to overtime.

'He wasn't going to shoot it early and give them enough chance to go (back) down. I had no thoughts of calling a timeout.'

For Washpun's part, it was yet another moment in which he rose to the occasion, joining Saturday against Wichita State, against North Carolina and against Iowa State.

After having started as a sophomore, coming off the bench as a junior and carrying the weight of UNI's offensive success for much of the regular season, to reach that stage and have the full trust of his coach and teammates was all he needed.

It's a shot every kid practices and envisions in his driveway, the game-winner. Washpun's just sent the Panthers to the Big Dance.

'(These moments) mean everything. For Coach Jake to give me the opportunity, to be in a position to make a shot like that, I can't even describe what it means,' Washpun said. 'It's the stuff you dream of. You just hope you're put in a position to be part of a moment like this.'

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