A clutch 3-pointer from senior All-American Ben Pearce has earned Emory a spot in the NCAA Division III Final Four for the first time in program history.
Pearce hit a contested jumper from distance with 1.4 seconds remaining to give the No. 2-ranked Eagles an 83-78 win over No. 10 Illinois Wesleyan in Fort Wayne, Ind.
“I thought I was letting the guys down, down the stretch, but I was just trying to stay with it,” Pearce said. “I thought the big was back a little bit on the drop coverage. And so I thought I had the shot, and it felt good coming out of my hand.”
Emory (26-3) advances to play No. 11 Christopher Newport (24-5) on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. with the winner moving on to the title game on April 5 in Indianapolis.
Emory held a 10-point lead with 8:52 remaining after Jair Knight’s 3-pointer made it 70-60. But Illinois Wesleyan went on a 14-4 run and tied the game on a pair of free throws from All-American center Ben Cleveland with 2:37 remaining.
“We just kind of controlled the game,” Emory coach Jason Zimmerman said. “And I thought there at the end, we let it slip a little bit, and nothing from our guys as much as and we missed a couple layups. They turned them into like foot plays, where we didn’t get to and they got to and next thing you know, it’s a tie game, and our guys didn’t flinch, right?”
The score was tied two other times, the last at 78-78 on two free throws by Cleveland with 22.9 seconds left. Emory did not call timeout and Pearce dribbled for an open shot, knocking down perhaps the most memorable basket in school history with 1.4 seconds left.
After officials reviewed the video to reset the clock and confirm the 3-pointer, Illinois Wesleyan tried to throw a length-of-the-court pass that sailed out of bounds. The Titans then fouled Emory’s Mario Awasum with one second left and he iced the game with two free throws.
Emory got 23 points from Knight, who made two clutch free throws with 44 seconds left to put the Eagles up 78-76. Knight was 9-for-14 from the floor with three 3-pointers and five rebounds.
Pearce scored 21 points, including four 3-pointers, with five rebounds, five assists and three steals. A.J. Harris scored 14 points and Awasum had 13 points, a team-leading seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
Illinois Wesleyan got a career-high 36 points from Mason Funk, who also had seven rebounds and three assists. Cleveland had 17 points and eight rebounds.
Christopher Newport of Newport News, Virginia defeated No. 3 St. Thomas (Texas), 63-59, in the first quarterfinal game. The Captains won the national championship in 2023.
“Super proud of these dudes,” Zimmerman said. “We’re not done yet.”
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