UConn stuns Duke with last-second shot to complete comeback, earn Final Four berth
By David Wasson
Published:
The UConn basketball team completed one of the most epic NCAA Tournament comebacks in recent history, as Braylon Mullins hit a 30-foot 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds to play to cap a second-half rally for a 73-72 East Regional final victory in Washington, D.C.
Second-seeded UConn (33-5) heads to its third Final Four in four years next week in Indianapolis and will take on third-seeded Illinois in the national semifinals at Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday (6:09 pm ET, TBS/TruTV). Top-seeded Duke, which led 44-29 at halftime, saw its chances to earn back-to-back Final Four trips end at 35-3.
Leading by two following a Huskies free throw, Duke had a mid-court pass deflected back to UConn, who worked the ball to Mullins on the half-court logo – the guard instantly pulling the trigger and finding nothing but net for an instant March Madness moment.
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“I looked up at the clock and saw I had to get a shot up,” Mullins said on the CBS telecast. “I’m just so happy it went in. … We are ready for Indy!”
The Blue Devils led by as much as 19 in the first half and carried a 15-point lead into halftime, but watched the Huskies whittle away at it throughout the final 20 minutes. UConn cut the deficit to single digits at the 12:20 mark and then to five points with 4:13 remaining.
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An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
