Harvard Came ThisClose to Upsetting UNC in NCAA Tournament Thriller
Cinderella doesn’t hail from Cambridge in 2015.
No. 13 Harvard came up just short against No. 4 North Carolina in a 67-65 defeat in the teams’ opening NCAA Tournament game on Thursday night at Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. After unexpected wins as a double-digit seed in 2013 and 2014, the Crimson nearly busted brackets yet again this year. Guard Wesley Saunders, who finished with a game-high 26 points, missed a potentially game-winning, three-point shot in the final seconds.
“They played better than we did. We were very fortunate at the end,’’ UNC coach Roy Williams told Jamie Erdahl of CBS Sports on the court after the game.
North Carolina built a 16-point lead in the second half, but Harvard stormed back to briefly take the lead in the closing minutes. Guard Siyani Chambers staked the Ivy League underdogs to a 65-63 lead with 1:15 remaining with a dramatic four-point play. Fouled while attempting a 3-point shot, he drained the long-distance shot and converted the subsequent free throw.
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Harvard wouldn’t manage another point as Tar Heels forward Justin Jackson produced a pair of late baskets to secure the win. He pulled the ACC stalwarts even on a jumper and then delivered the game-winning score with an emphatic dunk.
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With the narrow win, UNC advances to face the winner of No. 5 Arkansas and No. 12 Wofford in the West Region.
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