JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The crowd stood with arms raised when Wofford guard Fletcher Magee got the ball on the first possession of the second half, anticipating this would be his history-making moment.
Magee calmly made his 505th career 3-pointer, setting an NCAA Division I record in the process. The senior from Orlando, Florida, with the smooth shot made seven 3s total and scored 24 points in an 84-68 win over Seton Hall in the first round of the NCAA tournament Thursday night, helping the Terriers to their 21st straight win.
But it was not just a history-making day for Magee. It was a history-making day for Wofford, which advanced in the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history.
"When I hit it, I definitely noticed the crowd was louder than just the normal 3 in the second half," Magee said. "But I feel like I didn't get too caught up in it. It was a close game. I was focused on doing whatever I could to help us continue to stretch our lead and win down the stretch."
Magee now has 509 career 3s, bypassing the mark of 504 set by Travis Bader in 2014 at Oakland.
Known for an unrelenting work ethic that keeps him in the gym late into the night, Magee set the record with a large contingent of friends and family in attendance, who were able to make the roughly two-hour drive from Orlando.
Going into the game, he needed to make three 3-pointers to break the mark. Magee knew he was on the cusp of a record but says he tried not to focus on it. Once he got the record, there was no let-up. Magee's crucial 3-pointer with 3:12 left put the game out of reach.
For the 15th time in his career, Magee hit seven 3-pointers. He joins Stephen Curry (Davidson) as the only two Southern Conference players to make at least five 3-pointers in an NCAA tournament game over the past 20 seasons. Curry hit at least five 3s in four tournament games.
"What you don't have a pulse of is how uncommon he is and how hard he's worked time and time again in that gym," coach Mike Young said. "I go over often to watch film. I enjoy it. No phones. And I can't tell you how many times I walk in that gorgeous building of ours and there's a ball bouncing, and I know it's him. Nine o'clock at night, 10 o'clock at night, and he's not messing around. He's going at it, getting better."
There was a brief ceremony in the Wofford locker room to congratulate Magee. Duke athletic director Kevin White, the NCAA tournament on-site representative, and Atlantic 10 commissioner Bernadette McGlade presented Magee with the game ball.
"First of all, we selected a damn good team," White said. "There's no question about that. You guys have got the hardest-playing team in the tournament. What an honor it is to present this to Fletcher."
Magee will have at least one more chance to add to his 3-point total, with a second-round matchup against Kentucky on Saturday afternoon.