No. 13 Furman stuns No. 4 Virginia, 68-67; Princeton takes down No. 2 Arizona, 59-55

Welcome back, March Madness!

JP Pegues hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left to propel No. 13-seed Furman past No. 4 Virginia, 68-67, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Orlando. Pegues’ shot came about after Garrett Hein stole a halfcourt pass and found Pegues in the right corner for the win.

It was the second straight time that UVA lost as a fourth-seed with the Cavaliers previously losing in the first round to Ohio in 2020-21.

Pegues finished with 11 points but it was the final three points that most people will remember.

Virginia (25-8) jumped out to an 8-0 advantage before Garrett Hien’s 3-pointer put Furman (28-7) on the scoreboard. The Cavaliers continued to work with tempo pushing their lead to 12-5 but Jalen Slawson’s emphatic dunk coupled with a foul on Armaan Franklin, helped the Paladins slice the lead to 12-7.

Furman made a late charge in the first half buoyed by backto-back 3-pointers by Marcus Foster and Alex Williams that cut UVA’S lead to 21-17 with

6:35 left before the half. Twice the Paladins pulled within a point but consecutive buckets by Jayden Gardner and Reece Beekman pushed the Cavaliers’ lead to 32-27 at the half.

The Cavaliers opened up the second half much as it start the game with a 10-3 run to push their lead to its largest of the game at 42-30. But Furman made a 5-0 run after a TV timeout with Foster hitting another shot from beyond the arc and Williams providing a quick layup.

Isaac Mckneely hit back-toback 3-pointers — the first of the game for Virginia — pushing the lead back to 12 at 50-38 with 10:54 left.

But Furman wouldn’t go quietly, putting together a 17-4 run, this one aided by switching to a 1-2-2 zone defense that seemed to confuse the Cavaliers, who began settling for outside shots rather than driving to the basket. The Paladins tied the game at 54 with 5:21 left and took the lead on the next possession thanks to a Slawson basket and foul shot.

Other games

– No. 15 Princeton shocked No. 2 Arizona with a 59-55 first-round victory in the South region on Thursday.

– Dennis Gates and the Missouri basketball team are sticking around California.

The Tigers came here in pursuit of their first NCAA Tournament victory since 2010 and they accomplished that mission Thursday with a 76-65 victory over Utah State at Golden 1 Center, securing the program’s first March Madness win in 4,745 days.

– Coach Kevin Willard guided the Maryland men’s basketball team back to the NCAA Tournament. The players repaid the favor by giving Willard his first NCAA postseason win in more than five years.

The No. 8 seed Terps used double-digit scoring from three starters, including a team-high 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and three steals by sophomore power forward Julian Reese, to propel themselves to a 67-65 victory over No. 9 seed West Virginia in a first-round game Thursday afternoon at Legacy Arena.

Courtesy of Chris Pedigo Marysville High senior Sophia Rogers is surrounded by school officials and family during her signing to Millikin University in Illinois Wednesday night at the Marysville High School gymnasium. Rogers, the team’s point guard and top defensive presence, helped guide Marysville to a school record 28 wins and trip to the California Interscholastic Federation Northern California state Division IV Final Four this year. Rogers will move onto a program fresh off 20-plus wins and a trip to the NCAA Division III tournament.

Tribune News Service Above: Furman’s Mike Bothwell (1) fights for the ball with Virginia’s Reece Beekman (2) during the first round of the NCAA tournament in Orlando. Below: Arizona was upset by Princeton Thursday, 59-55.