"Thank you for saving my life", "Ice water in his veins": Fans go wild as Dylan Harper hits game-winning buzzer-beater vs Seton Hall
Dylan Harper sent Rutgers fans into a frenzy on Saturday, draining a dramatic buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give the Scarlet Knights a 66-63 win over the Seton Hall Pirates at Jersey Mike's Arena. Harper made amends for his two missed free throws late in the contest, racing down the court with 6.4 seconds left before knocking down the game-winner as time expired.
Rutgers players swarmed Harper after he buried the go-ahead basket. He finished the game with 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting. He shot 4-for-7 from beyond the arc and made four of his seven free-throw attempts. Harper also had two rebounds and two assists.
Harper's buzzer-beater helped the Scarlet Knights improve their overall record to 7-4. This was the first time since 2015 that Rutgers defeated Seton Hall in back-to-back games. Rutgers fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to praise Harper after his late-game heroics against their New Jersey rivals.
"All the talk is about Flagg and Bailey but Dylan Harper is the real deal. Ice water in his veins," one fan said.
"Thank you for saving my life," another fan wrote.
"Wow, what an incredible shot in the final seconds of the game. I can only imagine what Dylan Harper must have been feeling in that moment, electrifying," one user added.
Here are some other reactions to Harper's clutch basket.
"I'm more impressed with the young man's composure. He plays like a third or fourth-year starter. Just found out his dad was NBA star Ron Harper. Those genes rubbed off big time," one fan said.
"Seton Hall let the #1 pick in the NBA Draft stay on his right hand into an in-rhythm open look. You have to push a lefty to his left," another fan said.
"He cooked that defender at halfcourt," one fan added.
Dylan Harper outshining Ace Bailey to start Rutgers' 2024-25 NCAA season
Harper has lived up to the hype thus far, averaging 23.5 points per game this season to lead all Rutgers scorers. He has scored at least 20 points in nine of the Scarlet Knights' 11 games, including a 37-point explosion in a game against then-No. 9 Alabama.
Ace Bailey, meanwhile, is averaging 17.9 points and 7.1 rebounds through nine games. He scored 21 points and grabbed seven boards in the win over the Pirates.