Vanderbilt coach C.M. Newton, an adamant opponent of the 3-point shot when it came into the college basketball world, on Sunday blessed the day it was born.
Barry Goheen sank a 3-point shot at the buzzer to send Vanderbilt`s Midwest subregional game with Pittsburgh into overtime, and the inspired Commodores went on to an 80-74 upset victory.
Pittsburgh seemed certain to win when Charles Smith, player of the year in the Big East, hit both ends of a one-and-one with four seconds left in regulation.
With Pittsburgh leading 69-66, Vanderbilt`s Eric Reid inbounded the ball to Goheen. The 6-foot-3-inch junior raced up court, stopped dribbling in the nick of time and fired a jump shot from 24 feet away on the left side.
Swish!
”With four seconds to go you can`t screen for a complex play,” Goheen said.
”I was just trying to get in shooting position as quickly as I could. I thought they might foul me in the backcourt before I could get a shot off. I was surprised I got as good a shot as I did.”
”We were hoping to foul,” said Pittsburgh coach Paul Evans. ”We would have fouled any guard. (Darelle) Porter was chasing Goheen. He just couldn`t catch up.”
Despite the dramatic shot by Goheen, it seemed to be asking too much for the Commodores (20-10) to sustain their momentum in overtime because they were without 7-foot Will Perdue, player of the year in the Southeastern Conference. Perdue had no choice but to commit his fifth foul when Pittsburgh inbounded the ball to the 6-10 Smith with four seconds to play.
A second earlier, a 3-point shot from Goheen from the corner-a hint of what was to come-had cut Vanderbilt`s deficit to 67-66.
Newton had a premonition. When Perdue slouched to the bench he told the huge senior: ”Will, your college career isn`t over. We`re going to win this game.”
”I believed him,” Perdue said. ”I thought back to my first year when I wasn`t doing well in basketball and I was in academic trouble. I thought: `Why does he keep me? He must think I`m worth something.` It was the same today. If he said we could, I believed it.”
His teammates also kept the faith. In overtime, Smith missed the first shot, an attempt from outside, and Frank Kornet`s basket sent Vanderbilt ahead 71-69 with 29 seconds elapsed.
Then, Smith was charged with a technical foul for hanging onto the rim while attempting a stuff. Goheen sank the free throw and Barry Booker made a 3-point shot, putting the Commodores up 75-69. Pittsburgh never recovered.
Midway through the first half, the Panthers (24-7) had a 13-point lead and seemed to be on their way to an easy victory. Vanderbilt was having a hard time getting the ball to Perdue, while Pittsburgh`s big three-Smith, 6-6 Jerome Lane and 6-5 Demetreus Gore-were very effective from near the basket.
However, the Commodores defended with tenacity and Pittsburgh started throwing the ball away. Paced by Perdue, Goheen and Booker, Vanderbilt came back.
A critical play came with 5:35 left in the half when Smith stuffed a basket but rammed into Perdue in the process.
The basket didn`t count and Smith was whistled for his third foul. It wasn`t until overtime that Smith finally fouled out, but before that his situation gave the Commodores liberties on both ends of the court.
”They were trying to get me into foul trouble but I got him in trouble and it really helped us out,” said Perdue, who turned into a feeder after scoring 11 of his 15 points in the first half.
Pittsburgh`s inside game sputtered in the second half before Smith reasserted himself, and in the process became the school`s all-time leading scorer. Nevertheless, it took an unexpected 3-point shooting spree by Porter- he hit two, after being only 1 of 8 for the season-to keep the Panthers in the hunt.
But when the game was on the line, it was Goheen who turned the 3-pointer into the ultimate weapon.
”I have to laugh,” Newton said at the postgame press conference. ”I see a guy back there (Ed Seitzer of the NCAA rules committee). When I was chairman of the rules committee, I was adamantly opposed to the 3-point play, but he kept saying, `It`ll add a lot to the game.` Ed, you were right. I should give you half my paycheck.”
