COLUMBUS, Ohio — It was the second the Fairleigh Dickinson gamers knew they have been about to make historical past.
The writer of that second was Sean Moore, a 6-foot-4 junior ahead who grew up in a Columbus, Ohio native only a few miles from Nationwide Area, the place he helped make historical past Friday evening within the sport of his life.
The second?
Moore, from the highest of the important thing, hit a 3-point shot that gave sixteenth seed FDU a five-point lead over No. 1 seed Purdue with 1:03 remaining within the sport.
It was the arrow that introduced down the Boilermakers.
After the ball left Moore’s arms, he posed like a statue for what appeared like minutes, his proper hand froze in midair as his teammates went wild round him.
Within the stands, his mom, Shanika Tyler, mentioned to herself (and to anybody who would hear): “That is my son!”
“I used to be so flabbergasted, so in awe… I used to be speechless,” Tyler instructed The Publish on Saturday, recalling the second. “We mentioned a pregame prayer collectively and I mentioned, ‘Son, you higher get out on the sphere with out worry.’ I instructed him to personal the court docket, as a result of the worst that may occur is you go house.
“No person actually noticed this coming, however we do not doubt him for a minute.”
Chavis Wilson, who is sort of a second father to Moore and is the daddy of Moore’s 14-year-old brother, had no hesitation as he watched the ball go away his arms en path to probably the most decisive shot in FDU historical past.
“When he hit that shot, I began having flashbacks of all of the coaching and taking pictures, the two,000 photographs a day in the summertime, all of the video games, all of the tournaments, all of the heartbreak,” Wilson instructed The Publish on Saturday. “I used to be proud that he took the massive shot. He used to shrink back from the massive shot. I instructed him earlier than the sport: ‘That is your metropolis.’
“Even the coach [Tobin] anderson’s spouse [Jodi], earlier than boarding the buses, instructed him, ‘Sean, you all the time play good in entrance of your loved ones. We want you to do it another time.
“When he fired that shot, I knew he was going to go in. It was meant to be.”
Moore, on Saturday, described what he and FDU did on Friday as “life-changing.”
“All of that taking part in has modified everybody on our workforce: employees, college students, everybody who goes to Fairleigh Dickinson College,” he mentioned. “All the pieces is totally different now.”
All the pieces is totally different due to that shot, that second.
“I missed that shot a few occasions within the second half, so I wasn’t going to let that cease me from doing it,” Moore instructed The Publish. “I felt prefer it was coming in and when it got here in… I needed to maintain the pose. It was simply the drive and the vitality. I simply felt like I needed to let the vitality out with the best way I felt.”
Wilson mentioned he communicates with Moore throughout the sport by giving him sure seems to be.
“Like two photographs earlier than that one, he wavered a bit of bit,” Wilson mentioned. “After they went down by 5 factors late within the sport, I checked out him and winked at him to say, ‘You have to do it now.’ He took it to the following stage.”
Demetre Roberts, a fifth-year senior and FDU workforce chief, referred to as Moore’s shot “a sport changer”, including: “That was a dagger proper there. I am so happy with him. He busted his ass. Thanks him, we are able to transfer on.”
With 13 seconds remaining within the sport and FDU clinging to a three-point lead, it was Moore who blocked a shot from Purdue’s Braden Smith to assist seal the win.
Moore entered the sport averaging 6.7 factors per sport and had scored in double figures simply eight occasions within the earlier 34 video games this season. But he led the Knights together with his career-high 19 factors, 5 rebounds and two blocked photographs within the greatest sport of his life.
He did it in his hometown, in entrance of his mother and pop and his folks.
“You may’t make it up,” Tyler mentioned. “Actually, once they say ‘the Cinderella story,’ I really feel like this was ordained by God. I keep in mind when he was 3 years outdated and he mentioned, ‘Mother, I simply wish to be a basketball participant. I wish to be tall.
“I all the time mentioned, ‘Pray about it,’ as a result of I am quick and his dad is brief, so the truth that he is [6-4]We really feel that it was a blessing from God, ordained to be his life.”
The three keys to FDU’s victory
A take a look at what sixteenth seed FDU (21-15) should do to defeat sixteenth seed Florida Atlantic (32-3) on Sunday in Columbus, Ohio.
keep intense
FDU performed as near an ideal sport as potential on Friday evening in opposition to No. 1 seed Purdue, as a result of the gamers knew it was going to take that. Sunday’s problem will probably be to take care of the identical elite depth after the largest win in class historical past.
“It is exhausting to high what we did final evening,” FDU guard Grant Singleton mentioned. “However we’re simply making an attempt to maintain a cool head, to be humble concerning the scenario. We now have extra issues to do. We wish to preserve dancing.”
Field
FAU does not have the huge peak benefit over FDU that Purdue did, however their gamers are simply as aggressive on the glass as FDU’s.
FAU had 18 offensive rebounds of their win over Memphis on Friday evening and has a rebounding margin of over six on the season (FDU is over 0.5).
defend the perimeter
FDU targeted a lot of their defensive vitality on Purdue heart Zach Edey, 7-foot-4, who let Purdue’s outdoors shooters take photographs.
The Boilermakers have been 5-for-26 from lengthy vary and could not harm FDU on the perimeter. FAU makes almost 10 3-pointers per sport and shoots 37 % from lengthy vary. And it retains opponents at 31 %.
