Australia's Peter Hooley captivated America with his triumph over heartbreak story, but it won't have the fairytale ending many hoped.
Despite inspirational play from Hooley, including 15 points, his underdog University at Albany lost 69-60 on Friday to Oklahoma University and were knocked out of the NCAA basketball tournament.
The 23-year-old 193cm tall guard from Adelaide, who has Australian team-mates Geremy McKay and brothers Sam and Michael Rowley, lost his mother and biggest supporter Susan to colon cancer in January.
Last week, with Hooley's Great Danes down two points against rivals Stony Brook and the winner earning a berth in the NCAA tournament, the ball miraculously was knocked from the basket back into his hands at the top of the key with 1.6 seconds left.
Hooley's rushed three-point shot didn't look good, but then seemed to correct itself and drop for the game-winning basket.
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Hooley, his twin sister Emma and father Jeff believed it was Susan who was looking out for her beloved son.
The NCAA tournament rivals the Super Bowl in stature in the US and the Hooleys became one of America's biggest storylines the past week.
Dooley appeared on multiple national TV shows, penned an emotional story for the New York Post and NBA great Charles Barkley interviewed Emma and Jeff in a live cross to their Adelaide home before the Oklahoma game.
The NCAA tournament brings together the best 64 college teams in the US in a knockout tournament that dominates America during March.
Almost 20 Australians are on teams in the tournament.
Melbourne 208cm forward/centre Mangok Mathiang and his Louisville Cardinals edged out University of California Irvine 57-55 on Friday.
It's not often Mathiang finds himself at a height disadvantage, but he was dwarfed by Irvine's 229cm, 136kg centre Mamadou Ndiaye.
The tournament started poorly for Australia on Thursday, with Eastern Washington (Venky Jois and Felix Von Hofe), Baylor (Deng Deng), Lafayette (Nathaniel Musters and Dan Trist) and Louisiana State (Darcy Malone) knocked out.
Butler and their Sydney guard Jackson Aldridge did defeat the University of Texas to set up a second round battle against third seed Notre Dame.
