Mary Washington beats Emory at buzzer to win D3 title

Emory University's men's basketball team had its best season in program history come to an end with a two-point loss to the University of Mary Washington in the Division III national championship game. The post Mary Washington beats Emory at buzzer to win D3 title appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

Apr 6, 2026 - 08:00

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Mary Washington beats Emory at buzzer to win D3 title

Emory University’s men’s basketball team came within two points of a national championship before a last-second putback by the University of Mary Washington ended the Atlanta school’s best season in program history Sunday in Indianapolis.

Sophomore Colin Mitchell, a forward who had not started a game all year, grabbed an offensive rebound and scored at the buzzer to give UMW, which is based in Fredericksburg, VA, a 75-73 victory in the Division III national championship game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, denying Emory its first title.

Emory’s comeback falls short

Emory led 30-28 at halftime, even though both teams shot just 29% from the field in the first half. Jair Knight led the way with 13 first-half points.

The second half opened with a scare. Emory’s Ben Pearce, the national player of the year, left the game with an injury. He returned, but did not hit his first field goal until late in the game, finishing with 10 points, five rebounds, and seven assists.

UMW steadily pulled away in the second half, going up 63-50 with 4:49 remaining.

But Emory had one last push and went on a 23-12 run to close the game, cutting the deficit to two after a UMW turnover with 46 seconds left. Ethan Faust, who finished with 24 points and six rebounds, tied the game at 73 with a three-pointer in the final seconds.

UMW got the ball back with seven seconds left. Robinson drove the baseline, put up a shot, and missed. Mitchell grabbed the rebound and scored at the buzzer.

Listen

Here is the audio of Emory tying the game and then the buzzer beater by MWU. The announcer is Chris Mooneyham of The Fan 680AM & 93.7FM via Emory Athletics.