Todd Vanderwerff

The ball hung in the air, arching towards the basket as time expired slowly.

Almost agonizingly, the ball spun, partially deflected by a defender. Stacie Cizek had sent it towards the basket from the right wing, only her skill and a prayer to accompany it.

And when that ball fell through that basket, the auditorium in St. Joseph, Miss. exploded with the noise of Jackrabbit fans who could have been forgiven if they had been writing the 2003 season off as another case of “So close, yet so far” only moments earlier.

In that moment, a new SDSU legend saw its birth.

“I think there was a lot of praying going on,” said SDSU guard Steph Bolden of the shot. “When the shot left her hand