Video: UConn Wins on Napier’s 30-Foot Jumper

by David Cassilo / @dcassilo

 

There haven’t been many special moments for UConn in the season after its national title, but Monday night’s win over Villanova provided one for the ages. Sophomore guard Shabazz Napier sank a 30-foot jumper with under one second remaining in overtime to give the Huskies a 73-70 win.

Villanova was trailing by two points in overtime before freshman guard Ty Johnson went coast-to-coast and hit a layup to even the score. Then the Huskies raced down the court, and Napier settled for a deep three with a couple seconds on the clock. But the questionable decision turned out to be the right one as Napier drained it.

After the team’s last game, a loss to Marquette, Napier called out his teammates.

From the New Haven Register:

“I’m blunt,” he said. “I don’t want to say the wrong things. But at the end of the game, I told the guys, ‘I’ve got to question a lot of your hearts’ … The only reason I’m speaking out is because I’m the captain, and at the end of the day, I’m the only one who wants to speak out. Everybody else, when they get in the locker room, they’re so quiet, like we just died.”

Napier’s shot overshadows a monster performance from fellow sophomore guard Jeremy Lamb. In 38 minutes Lamb scored a career-high 32 points.