Purdue vs. Arkansas-Little Rock: Score, Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2016

America, meet Josh Hagins.

The Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans guard became the latest darling of March Madness on Thursday as his three-pointer at the end of regulation sent the game to overtime and his 31 points paced the No. 12-seeded Trojans in their 85-83 double-overtime upset of the No. 5-seeded Purdue Boilermakers in Denver.

Here's a look at Hagins' epic game-tying shot:

The guard added seven rebounds, six assists and five steals, while Lis Shoshi went for 14 points and nine rebounds. Vince Edwards (24 points, 13 rebounds) and A.J. Hammons (16 points, 15 rebounds, six blocks) led the way for the Boilermakers.

But Hagins was the story. He outscored Purdue by himself, 21-20, in the final five minutes of regulation and in both overtimes, per ESPN Stats & Info. Fans won't soon forget his monster performance, as Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports opined:

Nicole Auerbach of USA Today concurred:

The game's first 35 minutes weren't as compelling as Hagins' end-game flurry, however.

The first half was a tight affair, as Edwards hit a last-second three-pointer to give Purdue a 31-28 lead at halftime:

Seven turnovers and 3-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc stymied the Boilermakers in the opening frame, though a 23-18 advantage on the boards was key.

Both defenses played well in the first half, as expected, though both teams were sloppy on offense. Purdue shot just 38.5 percent from the field, while Arkansas-Little Rock was at 34.4 percent.

Marcus Johnson Jr. led the Trojans with 10 points, while Hagins, their leading scorer on the season, had just two. Edwards' 10 points paced Purdue in the first half.

Edwards' big opening frame didn't surprise Michael DeCourcy of Sporting News:

After 12th-seeded Yale knocked off fifth-seeded Baylor earlier in the day, Seth Davis of CBS Sports pondered whether Purdue was the next No. 5 seed headed for an early demise:

The Boilermakers didn't look primed for an upset early in the second half, however. They found themselves up 45-36 at the 12:34 mark after Dakota Mathias sunk a three-point shot.

And Hammons—who had just six points in the first half—quickly made his presence felt with this monstrous dunk:

Little Rock's inability to make perimeter shots started to catch up to it, as Tim Brando of Fox Sports noted:

Purdue gradually and methodically stretched its lead from there, as Davis tweeted:

But Little Rock mustered one final salvo after Purdue took a 65-52 lead at the 3:33 mark, going on a 10-0 run, capped by a Hagins three, to reduce the deficit to 65-62 with 1:23 left. Hammons turned the ball over on Purdue's next possession, and a Hagins drive-and-dish to Shoshi for a layup cut the deficit to one point.

Mathias answered with a three-pointer to give Purdue a four-point lead, but Shoshi came up big again, responding with a three of his own to trim Purdue's lead to 68-67 with 20 seconds remaining.

Edwards would make both of his free throws on the other end before Hagins hit his deep, off-balance three-point shot with six seconds on the clock to improbably tie the game. 

Purdue had a chance to drive down the floor for the game-winning bucket, but Edwards appeared to freeze in the backcourt, presumably looking toward the bench to see if a timeout had been called.

Basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy had a different theory:

Purdue got a deep shot off at the buzzer, but it missed, and the game headed to overtime.

The moment wasn't too big for Hagins, as Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post noted:

The teams traded buckets in overtime before a Ryan Cline free throw gave Purdue a 75-73 lead with 25 seconds remaining. But the clutch Hagins raced down the court and made a quick layup on the other end to tie the game.

Purdue called a timeout with 11 seconds remaining to draw up a play for the final shot. But Edwards missed a contested attempt, Little Rock pulled down the rebound and the game headed to a second overtime.

Little Rock jumped out to the lead in the second overtime behind six points from Hagins, and the Trojans held an 84-81 lead with 19 seconds remaining. Edwards made a floater with 12 seconds on the clock to cut the deficit to one.

Maurius Hill missed two free throws on the other end, giving Purdue a chance to win. But Johnny Hill tripped on his drive to the basket with time running out and could muster only a wild attempt that missed, sealing the win for Little Rock.

Up next for the Cinderella Trojans will be Iowa State, a team that couldn't have a more contrasting style to Purdue's. Whereas the Boilermakers were a defensive, physical unit, the Cyclones play fast and score buckets in droves.

That will make for an interesting matchup with Little Rock, which plays solid defense and may need another otherworldly showing from Hagins on Saturday to book a trip to the Sweet 16.

Postgame Reaction

After the contest, the Trojans enjoyed a spirited celebration.

They certainly earned it.

Head coach Chris Beard—who was right in the middle of the celebration—didn't exactly seemed shocked by the result, per Troy Schulte of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette:

But he, and the rest of the Trojans, had Hagins to thank for that. Shoshi acknowledged after the game that the team was completely reliant on Hagins:

And Hagins wasn't to be denied.

"I waited 22 years for this game," he said, per Steve Sullivan of KATV. "If I was gonna go down and I was gonna go down swinging.

Hagins reportedly used Fisher—the most famous basketball alum from Little Rock—as his motivation, per Mary Dunleavy of THV11:

Fisher was impressed with Hagins and the team's performance himself, though when Zach Braziller of the New York Post asked Fisher if the current Trojans were reminiscent of him in his playing days, he responded, "They played the way they played. I'm proud of them, man."

"Unbelievable performance," Fisher added. "They weren't afraid of the moment."

Indeed they weren't.

Check out Bleacher Report's live updating bracket to track your picks along the road to the Final Four. 

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