Box Score With 4.7 seconds on the clock,
Nicole Chuang took the inbounds pass, hesitated briefly, then shot down the lane, put up a layup from eight feet off the glass, dropping the ball down through the net.
Game tied 60-60 with one second to play.
Through the crowd noise the referee's whistle shrilled.
Chuang was fouled and would go to the line to with the chance to put The Master's into the championship game.
She hit nothing but net.
The No. 3-seed The Master's Lady Mustangs defeated No. 2-seed Menlo Oaks 61-60 Friday night in the semifinals of the GSAC Women's Basketball Championship Tournament.
TMU led 47-36 at the end of the third quarter, and still led by nine with 3:13 to play. But the Oaks, ranked No. 23 in the nation, went on a 10-0 run over the next 3:08 to take a 60-58 lead.
Head Coach Lisa Zamroz called a timeout and drew up the play that would send Chuang into the jubilant arms of her teammates.
"We played them really tough through three quarters," said Head Coach Lisa Zamroz. "When the fourth came around, (Menlo) really turned up the heat defensively and we went back to our old ways that lost us the game at our place a few weeks ago -- offensive rebounds and turnovers… BUT, we had built enough of a buffer in the first half to stay in it. Nicole stepped up with the biggest play of her career thus far."
Belle Hernandez hit 7 of 9 shots in that first half for 18 points to help give TMU (24-6) a 35-21 lead at the half. The Mustangs defense held the Royals to 9 of 30 (30%) in the first 20 minutes, while hitting 14 of 25 (56%) as a team.
After cutting into the lead by three points at the end of three, Menlo poured it on in the fourth, out-scoring TMU 24-14 in the frame.
But what mattered most was the final second of the game.
Hernandez finished with a game-high 24 points while Chuang added 14 and four assists. Maddie Cooke had a team-high 10 rebounds to go with six points and a pair of blocks.
The Lady Mustangs will now play No. 1-seed Vanguard Saturday night for the tournament championship and automatic bid into the NAIA National Championship Tournament.
The Master's split the season series with the Lions, losing 65-64 in Costa Mesa but winning 68-62 at home in The MacArthur Center. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. from Atherton, Calif.
