MVC Final – Magnificent

(St. Louis, MO) – Sunday’s Missouri Valley Conference championship game was in one word, Magnificent. Northern Iowa’s championship game win (56 to 54) had more twists and turns than a Stephen King novel, but in the end it came down to two exceptionally talented, driven players fighting for a dream to come true.

The high-light reels will show Wes Washpun’s game winning jumper hitting the rim, glancing off the backboard and falling straight through the net as the horn sounds and he will be hailed as the big game player that he is, but there is oh, so much more. We have been saying all year, that he is the best big game player in the country and he proved it again on Sunday.

But the drama, the magnificence of this game was not only on that last play. With the game, and a trip to the NCAA tournament on the line, Washpun and Evansville’s D.J. Balentine put on a display that the 9,765 in attendance will not soon forget. Like Wichita State’s loss to Kentucky in the NCAA tournament, this was a game for the ages. A game that you didn’t want to end. It was magnificent.

After Jaylon Brown scored on an old fashioned three-point-play with 4:13 to go, the game came down to two relentless, elite-level players giving every ounce of energy and creativity they possess to fight for their team’s survival.

During those final four minutes Balentine and Washpun put on a display of magnificence. Balentine’s driving lay-up gave the Purple Aces their first lead of the day. They had trailed by 17 on three different occasions in the first half and trailed by 14 at the half. But with 3:37 to go, they had the lead at 48-47. After an exchange of possessions, Washpun dragged the Panthers back in front with a driving lay-up of his own. 49-48 – UNI – 2:23 left.

A Balentine mid-range jumper later, and it was the Panther fans’ chance to fret. 50-49 with 1:57 left.

The only interruption to this one-on-one display was Jeremy Morgan’s three pointer. His trey in the semifinal win over Wichita was huge, and this one was even larger. With 1:41 to go the Panthers owned a two point lead.

Balentine would not be stopped.  At the other end of the floor, driving the lane he was fouled and Evansville’s all-time leading scorer calmly knocked down the free throws to tie the game at 52 with 78 seconds left. He was magnificent.

A Washpun jumper 28 seconds later and the Panthers were back in the lead. The character, the intensity, the will to win, the accepting of responsibility by these two players was second to none. On the ensuing possession, the Purple Aces had to retrieve rebounds and loose balls three times to stay alive and on their ‘third kick at the can’ a magnificent reverse lay-up by Balentine had the game tied at 54 with 23 seconds left. Twenty-three seconds until glory.

With a time out in his hand, head coach Ben Jacobson decided to trust his senior. Washpun has made these kinds of plays in three of the last four games against league power Wichita State. He made them against top ranked North Carolina and second ranked Iowa State, and on this Sunday in St. Louis, his head coach was looking for one more magnificent play.

With the clock running down, and Balentine guarding him, everyone in the building knew Washpun would determine the outcome. Most on press row were hoping for overtime, because who wants a game like this to end?

Balentine said their whole goal defensively was to force a tough shot. When you watch the replay, they did just that. Washpun is 18 feet away, falling backward, with a player lunging at his body. The subtle ‘kiss off the backboard’ provided just enough change of direction for the ball to land safely (for Panther fans and cruelly for the Aces) in the net. Cue the celebration, net cutting, ‘One Shining Moment’ and Arch Madness 2016 championship t-shirts.

But for my money, the magnificence of Balentine in defeat and Washpun in victory will resonate for a long time. As Balentine fought tears going through the hand-shake line, and he and Washpun embraced, it reminded why we buy the tickets, write on websites, and fill out brackets. It is young men like D.J. Balentine and Wes Washpun who give everything they have, with exceptional skill and grace that cause us to sit back and appreciate, to admire and to celebrate.

They are magnificent.

Do Good

Editor: Headline photo courtesy of  Doug DeVoe – MVC)