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Paul Jesperson joins UNI icons with half-court buzzer-beater

OKLAHOMA CITY — Move over, Ali Farokhmanesh.

You too, Maurice Newby. Another Northern Iowa basketball player hit an NCAA Tournament shot for the ages Friday night.

This was Paul Jesperson’s shining moment, banking in an attempt from midcourt as the buzzer sounded, lifting the 11th-seeded Panthers to a stunning 75-72 upset of No. 6 seed Texas.

“When it left my hand, I felt like it had a chance,” Jesperson said. “But obviously, you never know.”

Maybe, we should have at least had an indication how things might turn out.

Farokhmanesh made two dramatic 3-pointers — against UNLV and top-ranked Kansas — during the Panthers' run to the Sweet 16 in 2010, also in Oklahoma City.