All articles tagged with #buzzer beater
Caitlin Clark hit a 3 from near midcourt with 1.2 seconds left to give the Indiana Fever a 78-76 win over the Washington Mystics, capping a comeback from a 17-point deficit as Indiana survived late pressure. Clark finished with 19 points, Kelsey Mitchell 15, and Aliyah Boston 14 for the Fever, while Michaela Onyenwere led Washington with 17.
Victor Wembanyama capped a late Spurs surge with a 43-foot half-court buzzer-beater to spark a 21-point run and tie the Western Conference Finals with Oklahoma City. He finished Game 4 with 33 points in 31 minutes, showcasing scoring and defense that keep San Antonio competitive while the Thunder rely on deeper depth. The Spurs’ path hinges on him carrying the offense, even as bench support remains a challenge.
Sports Illustrated ranks the 25 most memorable NCAA tournament games from 2000–2025 that did not decide the national champion, highlighting buzzer-beaters, upsets and late-game heroics across Final Four, Elite Eight, Sweet 16 and earlier rounds. Highlights include UNC–Duke (2022) and Gonzaga–UCLA (2021) in the Final Four, Wisconsin’s upset of Kentucky (2015), Virginia–Purdue (2019) in overtime, UMBC’s historic 2018 upset, and the 2025 Duke–Houston Final Four, among others; the piece notes that 2026 games were not considered.
A sports outlet updates the top 10 NCAA Tournament buzzer-beaters, placing Braylon Mullins’ 35-foot shot for UConn to beat Duke at No. 3 behind Christian Laettner’s 1992 Elite Eight winner and Kris Jenkins’ 2016 title shot, with context on the clock, stakes and degree of difficulty across the list’s entries from 1983–2019 and 2026.
UConn erased a 19-point gap and edged Duke 73-72 in the Elite Eight when Braylon Mullins hit a 3 with 0.4 seconds left after a Duke turnover, sending the Huskies to the Final Four for a meeting with Illinois.
Ashlon Jackson buried a buzzer-beating three to lift Duke over LSU 87-85 in the Sweet 16, sending the Blue Devils to the Elite Eight. The game showcased Duke’s stout defense and late offensive pushes amid some execution slips, with LSU’s MiLaysia Fulwiley leading scorers at 28 and Mikaylah Williams hitting late free throws before Jackson’s decisive shot.
Ashlon Jackson hit a 3 at the buzzer to lift third-seeded Duke over No. 2 LSU 87-85 in the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament, sending Duke to the Elite Eight to face UCLA after LSU briefly led in the final seconds.
Trey Kaufman-Renn tipped in Braden Smith's miss with 0.7 seconds left to lift Purdue past Texas 79-77 in the Sweet 16, sending the Boilermakers to the Elite Eight against Arizona. Kaufman-Renn had 20 points and eight rebounds, while Texas guard Tramon Mark poured in 29; the Longhorns tied the game moments earlier on a late 3-point play by Dailyn Swain.
St. John's landed Idaho State transfer Dylan Darling after his former coach Kyle Smith urged the pickup, and Darling delivered a buzzer-beater layup against Kansas to propel St. John's into its first Sweet 16 since 1999.
A Defector writer celebrates Minnesota’s fourth-seeded win on a last-second buzzer-beater, sending them to the Sweet 16, and argues the live crowd’s roar is so electric that even TV mixes or shaky cell videos can’t do it justice.
Dylan Darling, scoreless until the final 3.9 seconds, took an inbounds pass and drove for a dramatic last-second layup to lift St. John’s over Kansas 67–65 and push the Red Storm into the Sweet 16 to face Duke in Washington, D.C.—a moment described as emotional and monumental for Darling and the program.
Nebraska beat Vanderbilt 2 seconds left on Brendan Frager's acrobatic layup, but Tyler Tanner's halfcourt heave rimmed out. The game sparked a theory that inflated NCAA tournament balls may have altered the shot's outcome, with players and even Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg weighing in. Reports from various regions describe balls that feel more inflated, prompting debate over whether air pressure affected key moments. Nebraska earned its first NCAA tournament win in years, leaving Vanderbilt with a heartbreaking what-if scenario.
Dylan Darling, who was scoreless for 39:56, insisted on a play for himself in the huddle and then delivered a right-handed layup on a straight-line drive with 3.9 seconds left to beat Kansas 67-65, sending St. John's to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999. Pitino called the moment one of the funniest he’s ever experienced and credited Darling's confidence, as the Red Storm prepare to face Duke in the next round.
Darryn Peterson scores 21 but Kansas blows a chance to advance when Dylan Darling hits a last-second layup as St. John's escapes with a 67-65 win in the NCAA Tournament second round, ending Peterson's Kansas career and prompting questions about his NBA future and Bill Self's tenure.
St. John’s edged Kansas 67-65 on a last-second buzzer-beater by Dylan Darling in the NCAA Tournament, ending the Jayhawks’ season. Kansas battled back from a 14-point gap but struggled offensively and with inbounds pressure, while St. John’s physical defense and turnover advantage fueled the win. Darryn Peterson led KU with 21 points, and the offseason will bring roster changes as coach Bill Self faces questions about his future.