DAYTON, Ohio: His team’s mere presence in the NCAA tournament certainly defied odds, but somehow Liberty University junior John Caleb Sanders had the ball in his hands in the final seconds, his team trailing by one and the underdog Flames begging fate to carry them farther.
Sanders sprinted down the court at University of Dayton Arena, cutting across the paint and sending the possible game-winner into the air.
“This is what they dream about every day. . . . This is what it’s all about,” Flames Coach Dale Layer said later.
Layer would never suggest the team’s entire season came down to those final seconds; they’d been through too much together. But Sanders fell hard to the court, his layup caromed off the glass and the Flames fell to the North Carolina A&T State University, 73-72, in a tournament play-in game Tuesday, bringing to a close a season where the trials and tribulations far outnumbered the victories.
The Aggies snapped an ominous streak, picking up the school’s first tournament win. Making their first appearance since 1995, they entered the tournament 0-9, an NCAA record for tourney futility. North Carolina A&T advances to face the University of Louisville, the tournament’s top overall seed, on Thursday in Lexington, Kentucky
The Flames, meanwhile, will return to Lynchburg, Virginia, taking stock of a season where the losses were easy to count — 21 in all — but the wins feel more lasting.
“It’s a wonderful experience. Not just because you’re in the NCAA tournament,” Layer said. “That’s a big part of it. But the experience of what we did as people together was awesome.”
The Flames, who started the season 0-8, battled injuries, saw two players quit, lost an assistant coach to disciplinary action at midseason and carried the nation’s 297th-best RPI into the NCAA tournament, nearly pulled out the surprising win.
They faced a seven-point deficit at halftime but chipped away at the Aggies’ lead. Midway through the half, the teams began trading baskets. In a two-minute stretch, they combined for 20 points — eight straight field goals — matching emotional three-pointers and acrobatic layups.
North Carolina A&T seemed to have an answer for every Liberty bucket. When Sanders hit Andrew Smith for an alley-oop dunk, the Aggies’ Lamont Middleton drained a three-pointer on the other end. When Sanders squeezed his way into the paint for a layup, Adrian Powell charged to the hoop for North Carolina A&T. Finally, with 13 minutes 37 seocnds to play, junior Davon Marshall hit a three-pointer to cut the Aggies’ lead to 52-51, and Liberty seemed to have a bit of momentum.
There would be no fanning the Flames, however, as Layer immediately called a timeout and halted the momentum. “We were wore out,” the coach said.
Coming out of the break, the Flames’ shooters certainly looked tired. They went scoreless for the next 5:44. Liberty was 0 for 7 during the stretch, as the Aggies built a 10-point lead.
The Flames battled back and slowly trimmed the lead. Marshall’s three-pointer with 1:30 on the clock to made it a one-possession game, 73-70.
The Flames fouled Lamont Middleton with seven seconds on the clock, and the Aggies junior missed the front end of a one-and-one. Sanders ended up with the ball and charged down the court. As he plowed through the paint, he bumped into the Aggies’ Austin Witter just as he let loose a desperate left-handed shot as time expired.
“I knew he was going to try to penetrate and try to draw some body contact,” Aggies Coach Cy Alexander said.
Said Witter: “I saw him a couple times during the game trying to jump into our players’ bodies. So I just tried to jump back.”
There was some contact but no whistle.
“We came this far. It hurts to go down like that,” said Sanders, who had 21 points and nine assists for the Flames. “But only one team at end of year is gonna win this thing.”
Marshall, Sanders and senior Tavares Speaks combined for all but 12 of the Flames’ points. The Liberty bench managed just a single point, compared with 21 from the Aggies’ reserves.
North Carolina A&T’s Jeremy Underwood came off the bench to lead the Aggies with 19 points, shooting 6 of 6 from the field, while center Bruce Beckford chipped in 16 points and pulled down nine boards.
Despite the loss — and despite a 15-21 record — Layer said the past couple of weeks underscored the program’s promising future. The Flames should return four starters next season, in addition to getting back talented forward Antwan Burrus, who missed all of this season with a foot injury.
“This certainly is a shot in the arm for our program,” the coach said. “But it’s a shot in the arm for the people within our program, which is way more important — young men who are growing up. It’s just cool to be a part of it.”
