Posted on Tue, Apr. 08, 2008
Shot by Chalmers saves day for Jayhawks
SAN ANTONIO -- As hero shots go, Mario Chalmers goes near the top of the list.In the final game of the 19-foot-9 inch 3-pointer, Chalmers made a triple that will be forever remembered in Kansas and Final Four lore.With the Jayhawks trailing 63-60, Chalmers’ nylon ripper sent the game into overtime. Kansas closed it out in the extra five minutes for a 75-68 defeat of Memphis Monday night.Chalmers was named as the Final Four’s Most Outstanding player. He finished with 18 points, four steals and three assists.Kansas’ Sherron Collins brought the ball up court after Memphis made just one of two free throws with 10.8 seconds remaining. Collins was supposed to drive and find a teammate on the perimeter.“Sherron kinda fumbled the ball, I got it and I got a good look at it,’’ Chalmers said of his shot. “I thought it was going in when it left my hand. It felt pretty good.
“Looking at the rotation on his shot, I saw it was going in’’ Memphis’ Chris Douglas-Roberts said of Chalmers’ shot. “But we still had five minutes to play.’’Super Mario’s 3-pointer capped a 12-3 Kansas run over the last 2:12 of regulation. The memory of rallying from a double-digit deficit last season against Texas helped fuel the Jayhawks’ effort.“Last year against Texas, we were down 22 and we fought back won that,’’ said Chalmers, who had two of the Jayhawks’ three 3-pointers. “We remembered that.’’Chalmers was one of five Kansas players in double figures. Kansas sophomore Darrell Arthur had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Jayhawks.“Mario made a marvelous shot,’’ Arthur said. “Once he did that, I knew we were gonna win. We really couldn’t have scripted it any better.’’Chalmers, a 6-1 junior guard from Anchorage, Alaska, is the Jayhawks’ second-best 3-point shooter behind teammate Brandon Rush.“Mario made a big shot to send it into OT,’’ Memphis coach John Calipari said. “They had the will to win. And that’s what they did.’’