Page 8
Sports
The Clarion \ February 12, 2020
A thrilling end to a thrilling game
Duke’s game-winning layup against UNC
By Margaret Correll
Layout & Design
Long standing rivals, the Duke University
Blue Devils and the UNC Chapel Hill Tar Heels
made basketball look like an extreme sport on
Saturday, Feb. 8,2020. Everyone in attendance
at the Dean Smith Center might agree, for there
was not a stunned face in the room when the
clock hit zero.
This 2019-2020 season for the Heels has been
rough to say the least, leaving them at number
13 in the conference with a 3-9 wins to losses
ratio. With such a young team, the odds did not
look good at first for the Tar Heels.
For most of the game, the Heels were leading
the Blue Devils by 10 or more points, shocking
the fans after such a tough losing season. Duke
did not give up though, bringing the score back
up with fouls, allowing for them to score some
needed free-throws.
The arena was on the edge of their seats
when the final seconds came, Duke was down
by two points and managed to miss the second
free-throw which allowed for them to get the
rebound and tie-up the game, with only seconds
to spare. Sending the game into overtime was
only the start of the Tar Heels troubles.
Missed free-throw after missed free-throw,
the Heels struggled to keep up in overtime
but the future looked bright. It looks like the
UNC Tar Heels are going to win it all but
that dream is cut short by an amazing play
by the Blue Devils in the final seconds of this
exceptional game. Duke wins at the buzzer
with an incredible layup by Wendell Moore Jr.
The shock and disappointment from fans,
donors, students, alumni and Tar Heels head
coach Roy Williams filled the room as the Blue
Devils celebrated their insane win. Williams
stated in a post-game interview, “1 still think
good things are going to happen for this team,
but I’m not going to get this woe-is-me BS,
by any means.”
This game will be remembered as exciting
and memorable, as all rival games should be.
Duke will host UNC on March 7,2020 at 6 p.m.
Duke stuns UNC crowd with buzzer-beater layup.