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Victoria McGowan 2011
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Women's Basketball Athletic Communications

Hatter History: Miracle in Macon

On March 4, 2011, Stetson and Belmont were battling in the ASUN Conference tournament semifinals, looking to secure a spot in the championship game.

Stetson - the 2 seed - had defeated No. 7 Kennesaw State 65-47 in the quarterfinals. Tierra Brown scored a career-high 25 points, going 5-for-5 from behind the arc. It marked the first time the Hatters had advanced past the opening round since the 2005 championship.

No. 6 Belmont, meanwhile, upset No. 3 Campbell in the first round.

The back-and-forth semifinal featured six ties and 10 lead changes and came down to the wire.

After sophomore Victoria McGown knocked down a pair of free throws to give Stetson a two-point lead with 13 seconds left, Belmont's Shaunda Strayhorn hit a game-tying basket and drew a foul with 1.4 seconds to play.  Her free throw gave the Bruins a 46-45 lead.

With the Hatters out of timeouts, Jessica Conner pitched a short in-bounds pass to McGowan who dribbled once and launched a 55-foot Hail Mary a split second before the buzzer sounded.

"I was just trying to get a shot off before the clock ran out, and I didn't think I would have enough time, but I did and I prayed for that to go in," McGowan said after the game.

The shot rattled home and McGowan's teammates came charging off the bench to celebrate. Instant replay confirmed the basket was good.

"It was just an unbelievable shot that Victoria made," head coach Lynn Bria said.  "If there is time on the clock you always have a chance."

The buzzer-beater was featured as the No. 1 moment on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays.

Stetson went on to defeat Jacksonville 69-50 to capture the ASUN Championship and automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.  McGowan was named Tournament MVP and was joined on the All-Tournament team by Brown and Sasha Sims. The Hatters completed the season with 20 wins for the first time since 2000-01.




About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.
 

 
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