Tenths of a second ticked off the Assembly Hall clock in what seemed like slow motion. App State players, coaches and fans had seen this before. It was almost assumed that Justin Forrest’s last-second heave would find its way into the basket for a history-making Mountaineer victory.
But this time it fell just short.
From 19 points down to a six-point lead – and a wild ride in between – App State’s rollercoaster First Four game against Norfolk State ended as a 54-53 loss, narrowly preventing the Mountaineers from earning the program’s first NCAA tournament victory.