In one of the wildest moments in Rutgers history, Ron Harper Jr. etched his name in Scarlet Knights lore when he nailed a near half-court buzzer-beater to defeat Purdue 70-68 and give the program its first-ever win against an AP No. 1 team.
“I took a glance at the clock, got two good dribbles down and I saw like 2.1 seconds. I had two more dribbles in me and I put up a shot,” Harper said after the game. “It was a shot I was comfortable taking. It wasn’t a last-second heave, it was a comfortable shot and when I saw it go up it felt good and I thought ‘that one’s got to go in.’”
Despite making their presence known the entire night, the thousands of voices stuffed into Jersey Mike’s Arena dropped as soon as the ball left Harper’s hands only to explode when the shot sailed in. It was like a moment ripped out of a movie as the Scarlet Knights faithful engulfed the floor in celebration.
“It’s like a dream,” Harper said. “If I woke up and I was in my bed after that I wouldn’t have been surprised, it was crazy.”
While Rutgers has had court stormings in the past, it is hard to find one filled with more joy and exuberance than this one. This was the type of moment that will be ingrained in fans’ memories forever along with the players.
“When that ball went in I was jumping like a little kid on Christmas,” Harper continued. “It was just crazy, I was just so happy for our guys and so happy we got this win.”
While most of the attention will go to the deciding shot, it is worth noting the senior also finished the game with a 30-point/10 rebound double-double and made another clutch bucket with 13 seconds left to put Rutgers ahead 67-66.
With 13 seconds standing between them and history, Harper had one message for his teammates.
“I said, ‘God forbid they score the basketball, but if they score, give me the ball and I am going to send us home,’” he said.
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