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NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament excitement isn’t limited to Division I schools.
The University of Mary Washington and Emory University’s Division III national championship game came down to the wire. The Mary Washington Eagles had the ball in the final seconds and were scrambling to get a last-second shot into the net against the Emory Eagles.
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The Mary Washington Eagles celebrate after defeating the Emory Eagles in the NCAA Division III men’s basketball championship game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on April 5, 2026. (Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Mary Washington guard Kye Robinson put up a fallaway shot as he fell out of bounds. Robinson’s shot missed, but forward Colin Mitchell was there to rebound the ball and put it into the basket as time expired.
Mitchell ran back up the court as his teammates ran toward him to celebrate the win.
“We trusted Kye to get to the spot,” he said, via Yahoo Sports. “And he got there and shot a good shot. Right place, right time.”
Robinson admitted he didn’t take the “easiest shot possible.”
Emory Eagles forward AJ Harris rushes up the court against Mary Washington Eagles guard Hasan Hammad on Sunday, April 5, 2026, during the NCAA Division III men’s basketball championship game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
“I feel like I was making it kind of hard on myself. And then once I felt my leg buckle a little bit, I was like, ‘Oh, I just have to get it up.’ Definitely the best missed shot of my life.”
Seconds before Mitchell’s game-winning putback, Emory’s Ethan Fauss hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 12 seconds left. Fauss and Jair Knight were the catalyst in putting Emory up eight points three minutes into the second half. It was Emory’s largest lead.
Mary Washington would go on a 14-2 run to get back into the game.
Robinson had 27 points on 12-of-22 shooting. He had eight rebounds, four assists and four steals in the win. Jay Randall had 14 points and Kaden Bates added 10.
Knight and Fauss had 24 points for Emory. Ben Pearce, Emory’s all-time leading scorer who eclipsed 2,000 points in his career, was held without a made shot until he hit a 3-pointer with 90 seconds left. He went 7-of-11 from the free-throw line.
The Mary Washington Eagles celebrate after defeating the Emory Eagles in the NCAA Division III men’s basketball championship game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on April 5, 2026. (Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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Mary Washington’s victory gave the team 30 for the season. It was a program record for wins. The team, which lost to Emory in the tournament last year, eliminated the defending champions, Trinity, in the semifinals.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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