JUMPING FOR JOY: Luke Hancock and TimHenderson celebrate during the final moments of Louisville’s 72-68 victory, while Ron Barker is consoled by a teammate while walking to the locker room. (REUTERS)
JUMPING FOR JOY: Luke Hancock and TimHenderson celebrate during the final moments of Louisville’s 72-68 victory, while Ron Barker (pictured) is consoled by a teammate while walking to the locker room. (
)
ATLANTA — The Wichita State lead was going up. The clock in the Georgia Dome was ticking down.
But so was Louisville, the Cards were ticking.
Louisville, the team Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said goes, “Boom!” finally exploded just in time to rally for a 72-68 win over Wichita State in a bloodbath of a Final Four semifinal game last night.
“I was waiting for our run,’’ said Louisville guard Russ Smith, from Brooklyn. “And it happened.’’
It happened with just under 13 minutes to go. And the most unlikely of igniters lit the fuse.
Tim Henderson, a walk-on from the Commonwealth State who was getting more playing time only because of the injury to Kevin Ware, hit a 3-pointer from just in front of where his injured teammate was sitting on the bench. Then he hit another 3.
“We knew that was going to be our time,’’ Louisville’s Luke Hancock said.
Suddenly a 47-35 Wichita State lead was down to six. The fuse had been lit. Louisville went, “Boom!” dropping a 21-8 “atomic bomb run,” as Wichita State guard Malcolm Armstead said on Friday, that turned the game.
Now the Cardinals’ time will come tomorrow night when they meet Michigan, which defeated Syracuse 61-56 last night, for the national championship. It would be coach Rick Pitino’s second title.
For the longest time it seemed as if No. 9 seed Wichita State (30-9), a gritty group of reclamation projects playing out of the Missouri Valley Conference, was going to hand Louisville, the No. 1 overall seed, a shocking upset.
But fueled by Henderson’s two 3s, which allowed Louisville (34-5) to put on its vaunted full court pressure, the Shockers finally started to crack. After committing just four turnovers in the first half, they committed five in seven possessions.
When Hancock, the George Mason transfer who coach Rick Pitino said in the October was the missing piece for a national championship, drained a 3 with 2:04 left, Louisville had its biggest lead of the game at 65-60.
“They do that to everyone,’’ Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said. “We were looking pretty good for there for 32 minutes.’’
Led by Cleanthony Early of Middletown, who had a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds, the Shockers opened the second half with a 21-10 surge to take a 47-35 lead.
“Well, I feel like when it went to 12, I looked at the clock and the time kept going down, people kept getting fouled, it was like, ‘Man,’’’ said Smith, who led Louisville with 21 points but was 6-of-17 from the field.
The final six minutes was riveting if not pretty. With 3:25 left the score was tied 60-60. But Chane Behanan tipped in a missed layup by Smith and then the Cards forced a turnover.
Hancock got the ball on the left wing, wide open, but with plenty of time on the shot clock. Shooters don’t hesitate. He banged in the 3 and the Louisville fans exploded.
Wichita State seemingly was going to have a chance to tie. After Hancock missed the second of two free throws with 12 seconds left, the Shockers had the ball, trailing 71-68.
But Hancock made his biggest defensive play of the season, tying up Ron Baker and forcing a jump ball. The arrow favored Louisville. It took a while, but the Cards had finally gone “Boom!”
“We made our run late,’’ said Peyton Siva. “That’s the trademark of our team. We got to continue to push and push.’’
Until someone lights the fuse.