Peter Hooley's buzzer-beating shot that made headlines across the US could be described as a miracle, but the guard from Adelaide knows who was responsible.
"When you've got angels watching, you can do anything," the 23-year-old, with an Australian flag wrapped around his shoulders and fans celebrating on the court around him, said.
Hooley's mother Susan, 52, lost a four-year battle with colon cancer six weeks ago.
With a heavy heart, Hooley's three-pointer with 1.6 seconds left gave his New York-based University of Albany Great Danes an improbable 51-50 win against rivals Stony Brook in Saturday's America East tournament.
The winner is an automatic selection into college basketball's biggest event, this month's NCAA Tournament.
The Great Danes wore SH patches on their left shoulders in the big win.
Just like St Mary's in California, Albany is known for fielding teams full of Australians.
This year's squad features Caulfield Grammar School centre Geremy McKay and Sydney Knox Grammar brothers, both forwards, Mike and Sam Rowley.
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