Chattanooga was taking on Furman in the Southern Conference championship game Monday evening in North Carolina Monday evening for an opportunity to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Furman rode some solid play into the postseason tournament and looked like it was going to pull off an upset win over the regular-season conference champions.
That’s when senior guard David Jean-Baptiste had other ideas for Chattanooga. Down 63-61 later in overtime after a layup from Furman’s Mike Bothwell, the Mocs needed someone to make a play.
Showing himself to be as clutch as they come, Jean-Baptiste nailed a contested three as time expired to send his team to the NCAA Tournament. It was absolute bedlam inside Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina.
What’s even crazier than that awesome shot is the fact that Jean-Baptiste was a mere 4-of-16 from the field, including a 2-of-9 mark from three-point range, before that shot.
The fifth-year senior entered Monday’s game averaging 14.7 points on 38% shooting from distance. Obviously, he wasn’t worried about struggles earlier in the game when pulling up for the awe-inspiring winning shot.
For Chattanooga, this represents their first NCAA Tournament appearance since all the way back in 2015-16. Back in 1996-97, this mid-major shocked the basketball world by earning a spot in the Sweet 16.