Wichita State guard Samajae Haynes-Jones drilled his second buzzer-beater of the season Thursday night, lifting the Shockers to a 65-63 victory over visiting Connecticut.
Haynes-Jones took the ball the length of the court, found a sweet spot on the baseline and threw up a left-handed fadeaway. As the ball found the net, time expired and Wichita State had won its 14th game of the season. Degree of difficulty on the shot: Expert!
The tricky winner was an incredible response to what could easily have been an incredible meltdown for the Shockers on their home court. With 68 seconds remaining, they were up six but UConn's Alterique Gilbert drained 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to tie things up before Haynes-Jones' heroics kicked in.
The outcome doesn't impact the American Athletic Conference standings much overall, as both teams are enduring rebuilding years. But in a tumultuous season, it's a good win against a well-coached UConn team that could catapult Wichita State into the final three games of the regular season on a high note.