Villanova Wins
Villanova vs. North Carolina: Kris Jenkins shot wins
Kris Jenkins sinks a game-winning three-point buzzer beater to lead Villanova over North Carolina in the 2016 National Championship game and give the Wildcats their second national title.
Villanova wins national championship on buzzer-beater against UNC
HOUSTON — So much for that chatter about whether Monday’s NCAA championship lacked excitement. By the end of the night, many of the 74,340 fans at NRG Stadium were hurling orange seat cushions into the air amid one of the most exciting games in tournament history.
A buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Kris Jenkins gave Villanova a 77-74 victory against North Carolina. And the Wildcats got the second championship in school history, after the memorable 1985 upset of Georgetown.
Villanova owned a two-point lead with 35 seconds to play when UNC’s Isaiah Hicks fouled Phil Booth, sending him to the line to shoot two. He hit both, giving the Wildcats a 72-69 lead.
At the other end, Marcus Paige missed a layup and grabbed his own rebound to cut lead to 72-71. A Brice Johnson foul sent Josh Hart to the line, where he made both, to give Villanova a 74-71 with 13.5 seconds remaining. Paige responded by drilling a 3-pointer from the top of the key with five seconds remaining to tie it at 74.
Certainly, Villanova could not be expected to replicate its 71.4 percent shooting percentage from Saturday night’s contest, but a comfortable 57 percent was enough to keep them in the game, even during UNC’s largest lead — a seven-point advantage they very nearly took into halftime, were it not for a Phil Booth jumper as the first half expired.
