March Madness kicked off on Tuesday night with Alabama State securing a 70-68 win over Saint Francis thanks to some last-second heroics.
The teams were tied 68-68 with 3.4 seconds remaining when Alabama State launched one final attack.
‘Here we go, this is where dreams are made,’ the announcer said as the ball was launched front one end of the court to another.
Amarr Knox eventually grabbed the loose ball and scored a layup. The clock stopped with 0.7 seconds remaining.
It sparked wild celebrations on the Hornets bench, while Saint Francis players were left in stunned disbelief.
This First Four win means Alabama State secured the No 16 seed in the South Region and move on to play Auburn, the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, this Thursday.
Saint Francis were stunned in the final second of their First Four game with Alabama State
Amarr Knox (right) secured a dramatic 70-68 victory for the Hornets on Tuesday night
Knox scored a team-high 16 points and TJ Madlock, son of head coach Tony Madlock, finished with 11 points and seven rebounds for Alabama State (20-15).
Saint Francis’ Daemar Kelly fouled Madlock on a scramble for the ball near the far sideline with 11.8 seconds remaining. Madlock missed the front end of the 1-and-1 free throw opportunity.
The miss led to a frantic scene at midcourt as Saint Francis clambered to get the ball downcourt for a chance to win the game in regulation.
But Juan Cranford Jr. dribbled the ball out of bounds and Alabama State had one more chance to win the game.
Micah Simpson (nine points) made the football-style pass from the Hornets’ baseline.
Cranford, a Dayton native, led Saint Francis (16-18) with 18 points and eight rebounds. Valentino Pinedo added 17 points and Riley Parker had 12.
The game was filled with many frenetic moments in the final three minutes.
Knox hit an acrobatic floating runner while falling out of bounds to break a 62-62 tie and give the Alabama State the lead with 2:07 remaining.
Saint Francis appeared to be on its way to its first-ever NCAA Tournament win, building a nine-point first-half lead before Alabama State rallied in the second half.
Cranford scored 13 points in the first half, helping the Red Flash to a 39-34 halftime lead.
The Red Flash shot a torrid 59.1 percent (13-of-22) from the floor in the first half while the Hornets made just 14 of their 33 attempts (42.4 percent).
Saint Francis saw its season end the way it began, losing on the same University of Dayton Arena court where the season opened with an 87-57 loss to Dayton on Nov. 4.
