No. 12 High Point defeated No. 5 Wisconsin 83-82 in the NCAA Tournament's first round upset Thursday in Portland. The Panthers earned their first tournament victory on Chase Johnston's breakaway layup with 11.7 seconds remaining.
Johnston, a 3-point specialist who scored his first two-point basket of the season, dedicated the win to his faith. "First and foremost, I wanna give all glory to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ," he said. "This group is built on John 15:13. We serve each other, we love each other, and we’d die for each other."
The game-winning sequence began when Wisconsin's Nick Boyd missed a potential go-ahead layup. High Point's Rob Martin grabbed the rebound and fired to Johnston. After Johnston scored, Owen Aquino blocked Boyd's attempt, and Wisconsin's final pass was stolen to seal the win for first-year coach Flynn Clayman.
Champions of the Big South Conference for the second consecutive year, High Point now faces No. 4 Arkansas on Saturday.