Albany's Hooley, still mourning mom, hits 3 to make NCAA tourney

Published Mar. 14, 2015 1:16 p.m. ET

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Everyone on Albany's campus will be doing the Hooley Hoop.

That's because Australia's Peter Hooley sunk a desperation heave with 1.6 seconds left on Saturday in the final of the American East tournament to give the Great Danes a 51-50 victory over Stony Brook and an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.

How unlikely was it that the shot from behind the arc went in? Albany was 0 for 9 from 3 before Hooley's prayer . . . as a TEAM. The guard, who stands 6-foot-4 and is from Adelaide, Australia, was 0 for 3 himself on treys before hitting the game-winner. Overall, he was 3 of 13 from the field and finished with 10 points for the Great Danes (24-8).

Check out the Vine of the shot:

"Peter is one of the best players in the America East Conference, and as good as you will find on the perimeter," coach Will Brown said of his teammate.

This couldn't have been scripted better for Hooley, who suffered the tragic loss of his mother in late January.

Hooley missed eight games in the middle of the regular season to return to his native Australia to be with his dying mother, who lost a battle with colon cancer at age 52. The team rallied around Hooley, wearing ''SH'' patches on their left shoulders in honor of Sue Hooley for the remainder of the season.

As excruciating as the near-upset win was for Stony Brook, the way the ball caromed to Hooley for his miraculous game-winner was purely magical.

Hooley's story and shot sparked warm reaction across Twitter. But most poignantly, one of his three sisters, Emma (Peter's twin), tweeted after the game . . .

When the final buzzer sounded, Hooley was mobbed on his home court, fans and teammates reacting in disbelief after his winning 3-pointer.

"When you've got angels watching, you can do anything," Hooley said of the only 3 Albany made all game.

Trailing 50-48 after Stony Brook's Carson Puriefoy missed a free throw with 16.9 seconds left, Albany's Ray Sanders missed a layup with 4 seconds left. But as Stony Brook's Jameel Warney and Albany's Sam Rowley fought for the rebound, the ball was tipped out from the baseline to Hooley, who was all alone and swished the winning shot.

"You couldn't write this stuff," said Sam Rowley, who led Albany with 14 points. "It's just beyond words. This was just a perfect moment."

Hooley, named the tournament's most outstanding player, returned to the lineup a month ago and was coming off a season-high 21-point performance against New Hampshire in the semifinals.

Hooley averaged 15.5 points in nearly 35 minutes before leaving the team in mid-January. The Great Danes responded by winning every game he missed, including an emotional victory over the Seawolves in the first game without their co-captain.

Albany trailed the entire second half before Hooley's incredible shot, the only 3 made in 10 attempts. Evan Singletary had 11 points before fouling out late and Hooley finished with 10.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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