Fayetteville State's John Herrington hits halfcourt shot to beat Elizabeth City State 79-78

FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina  -  John Herrington had never taken a 3-point shot for Fayetteville State before Monday evening. As a 6-foot-7 frontcourt player for the Broncos, Herrington doesn't even take practice shots from beyond the arc.

Recently, however, Herrington has been dreaming about sinking a game-winning 3-point basket. But not even his wildest dreams turned out as dramatic as the real thing Monday when Herrington sank a desperation shot from near midcourt that lifted the Broncos to a heart-pounding 79-78 victory against Elizabeth City State at Capel Arena.

"When the shot went in, I really didn't know how to act," Herrington said. "My heart stopped. I couldn't believe. That was my first 3 ever. I couldn't believe the shot went in. That was the biggest shot of my career."



It was a pretty big one for the Broncos, too, who battled through some tough stretches against the Vikings with sheer hustle and success at the foul line to wipe out an eight-point deficit over the final 6:54.

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HERRINGTON'S 55-FOOTER BEATS BUZZER - AND VIKINGS

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- John Herrington  had never taken a 3-pointer at Fayetteville State.  On Monday night, he had to. And it couldn't have come at a better time.

Herrington's 55-foot heave from behind halfcourt as time expired rattled off the backboard, in and out of the basket, and then fell in to lift Fayetteville State to a thrilling 79-78 victory over Elizabeth City State in a raucous Felton J. Capel Arena.

"I never shoot 3s - not even in practice," said Herrington, the CIAA's leader in field goal percentage at 64.7 percent. "It's just not me. Not at all."

Standing 6-foot-8 and a chiseled 230 pounds, Herrington (Sr., Jacksonville, Fla.) did not attempt a 3-point shot in his first season as a junior college transfer last season. Through nine games this season, Herrington still hadn't lofted a shot from behind the arc.  He doesn't even shoot them in practice.

And his first one didn't come easy. Fayetteville State (4-6, 2-1) had to inbound the ball from the opposing baseline after calling a timeout following Blake Price's miss on the front of a 1-and-1. With 2.0 seconds left, the ball was supposed to find Tim Plummer. Instead, it fell to Herrington, who turned and dribbled to the middle of the floor. Just before the horn sounded, Herrington lofted the shot into the air.

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