With March Madness Approaching, Crazy 13 Seconds Run Leaves the Crowd Bewildered

It looked like a wild goose chase that commenced when both teams were running out of time. This college basketball spectacle held fans on the edge of their seats. Shots were called in desperation and blocked in aggression, until a sensational strokeplay sealed the deal. At the end of the buzzerplay, the college basketball had recorded one of its crazy moments. 

With the end of the regular basketball season, the WAC championship tournament has commenced. The March Madness 2024 will begin next and the team that wins the conference championship will automatically qualify for the big tournament. In the first round, the four teams to clash were Utah Valley and California Baptist, and Stephen F. Austin and Abilene Christian. While Baptist won the first game, the second game saw thrill getting wild and wacko.

What was the thrill about?

Both Stephen F. Austin and Abilene Christian stranded at 57 points each when Wildcats guard Hunter Jack Madden made two free throws to level the score. Lumberjacks guard AJ Cajuste performed a turnover to take the ball to the opposite court. Wildcats forward Airion Simmons performed a steal. All this was happening when only 13 seconds were left for the game to end.

Therefore, it was the most crucial time for both the teams, and most probably due to lack of time, the team that would have scored would’ve emerged victorious in the game.

Abilene Christian ran towards the opposite basket to tick the scoreboard. Simmons missed the dunk and then a block came from SF Austin forward Jalil Beaubrun.

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The ball was once again in SF Austin’s control and this time after 2 missed chances from both teams combined, the Austin guard AJ Cajuste made a three-pointer jumper assisted by guard Matt Hayman. Thus, SF Austin took the score to 60-57 in the backdrop of the buzzer.

With this, SF Austin advanced to the Quarterfinals against UT Arlington. The game will take place on Thursday.

How was the overall game?

The entire match was equally exciting. The SF Austin had throttled 29 points against ACU dropping 23 points in the first half. The next half saw ACU score 34 points in response to SF Austin’s 31. For Austin, the highest scorer was Latrell Jossell who smashed a decent 17 points. Other than Jossell, Hayman and Cajuste smoked 13 and 12 points respectively. Whereas for Abilene Christian, guard Ali Dibba smoked 18 points while Madden and Simmons contributed with 12 points.

This game however will forever be etched in the memories of the fans of both teams as it had the play swinging from coast to coast within a matter of a few seconds. Meanwhile, Cajuste’s name will be remembered and also recollected in the times to come whenever SF Austin encounters any close situation.

Austin fans will be hoping that their team wins against Arlington to advance to the semi-finals against Tarleton. If Cajuste can continue his on-song performance and help his team win another match, then he will be a fan favorite if SF Austin qualifies for the March Madness.

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