Georgia State guard sinks game-winning half-court shot at the buzzer
After a frantic final 25 seconds in which the lead changed hands four times, the scene on the floor told the whole story.
Georgia State players sprinted to midcourt to mob Rashaad Richardson. Tennessee State players walked off the court with stunned expressions on their face.
With Georgia State trailing by one and two seconds remaining, Manny Atkins fired a long inbound pass to Richardson just in front of the midcourt stripe. The 6-foot-4 junior caught the pass, turned and released over the outstretched arms of two defenders, sinking the half-court shot off glass to give his team a stunning 59-57 win.
"It felt like forever for Rashaad's shot to go in," Georgia State coach Ron Hunter told reporters during his postgame press conference. "I remember watching it go up and thinking it had a chance, but I don't really remember anything after that as the crowd went crazy. I am extremely proud of him. In my 25 years of coaching, I don't know if I have ever coached a better person that Rashaad. I am very happy for him tonight."
Richardson's shot capped an unbelievable final sequence that began when Tennessee State's Jordan Cyphers sank a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left to give his team a one-point lead. Georgia State answered with a pair of free throws from Cameron Solomon with seven seconds to go, only to see that lead disappear when Tennessee State's DeShawn Dockery scored on a driving layup with two seconds remaining to give the Tigers a 57-56 edge.
That paved the way for Richardson's heroics and for a wild celebration on the floor of the GSU Sports Arena.
