Withers’ lane violation ends UNC’s comeback bid against No. 1 Duke

Post by: Pratik Kumar

Photo : AP

Jae’Lyn Withers stood in a hallway of the Spectrum Center, his left arm resting on North Carolina coach Hubert Davis’ shoulder. Reporters surrounded him, waiting for him to speak about what had just happened on the court.

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Just an hour earlier, North Carolina had almost made an amazing comeback against top-ranked Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals. The Tar Heels were losing by 24 points but fought back strongly. They had a chance to tie the game in the last seconds, but a small mistake changed everything.

With 4.1 seconds left, Ven-Allen Lubin was at the free-throw line for North Carolina. If he made the shot, the game would be tied. But before he could take the shot, Withers moved too early into the paint. The referee blew the whistle, and the shot did not count—even though the ball went in.

Duke kept their one-point lead and won the game 74-71, ending North Carolina’s hopes of victory.

For Withers, who had helped North Carolina play well in recent weeks, it was a painful moment. But he did not try to avoid the blame.

“I think I just moved too early,” Withers said quietly, with his coach beside him. “I wanted to get the rebound if he missed.”

Coach Hubert Davis stood next to him, showing support. He knew it was a tough moment but also knew how much Withers had helped the team.

The game had started in Duke’s favor. Even without two injured star players, they controlled the first half. Duke went on a big 15-0 run before halftime, taking a huge lead.

When they stretched the lead to 52-28 with 17:01 left, it looked like the game was over. But North Carolina did not give up.

They started playing faster, scoring in transition, and cutting the lead little by little. The crowd could feel the energy shifting.

With just a minute left, the Tar Heels had the ball and were down only 72-71. They called a timeout to plan their next move.

Lubin drove to the basket and got fouled by Duke’s Khaman Maluach. It was exactly what UNC needed—a chance to tie or take the lead.

Lubin missed the first free throw, but he had one more chance.

As he prepared to shoot, Withers stood between Duke’s Isaiah Evans and Patrick Ngongba. Just as Lubin bent his knees to take the shot, Withers stepped forward too soon.

Ngongba quickly pointed at Withers' foot. The referee’s whistle blew. The free throw did not count, even though it went in.

RJ Davis, standing beyond the three-point line, put his hands on his head in shock. Duke’s players cheered, knowing they had just been saved from a tie game.

“I have never seen anything like that before, especially in such an important moment,” said Duke’s Kon Knueppel.

UNC still had one last chance, but their final three-point shot missed. The game was over.

Withers covered his face with his jersey, heartbroken. Later, he walked through the handshake line with a towel over his head, trying to hide his emotions.

His teammates stood by him.

“We all make mistakes,” RJ Davis said. “We are behind J-Wit. He has our full support. We would not even be here without him. He should keep his head up.”

For Withers, it was hard to believe what had happened.

“At first, I just could not believe it,” he said. “Then, of course, I felt sad about how the game ended.”

North Carolina had almost made history with an incredible comeback. Instead, the night ended in heartbreak.

Duke moved on to the ACC Championship, while UNC was left wondering what could have been. Their NCAA Tournament hopes are still alive, but for Withers, this moment will be hard to forget.

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