Duke guard Derryck Thornton collided with UNC Wilmington’s Chris Flemmings and took a nasty shot
The Duke Blue Devils found themselves in some trouble in the First Round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament against the No. 13 seed UNC Wilmington Seahawks. They were trailing at halftime, but rebounded to go on a big run to start the second. With a lead midway through that second half, though, Duke guard Derryck Thornton suffered a frightening injury.
As UNC Wilmington was bringing the ball up the floor, Thornton on defense began breaking up the floor in a bit a strange play as he wasn’t moving towards the ball. In the same movement, Seahawks guard Chris Flemmings was going up the floor to either set a screen or just trying to run. What ensued was a wicked collision between the two players that left Thornton down and in a lot of pain:
That’s one of those plays and collisions that really make you cringe because neither guy really had the chance to brace themselves before the contact.
Thornton predictably went to the sidelines after that play, as did Flemmings. However, the UNC Wilmington guard came back in first and Thornton re-entered the game not too long after, showing that both were okay. That’s great to hear as a collision like that could have ended up worse for both players very easily.
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