The 6-7 Craze Hit Belk Arena During Women’s Basketball’s Education Day

DAVIDSON — With three quarters in the books, there was only one item of business left Friday afternoon in Belk Arena.

Jasmine Timmerson receiving the ball she would launch for 3. (News of Davidson photo)

The Davidson women's basketball team was well on its way to a 78-34 win over Morgan State, a win they earned while entertaining nearly 2,500 local school children for the annual Education Day game. As the clock showed 10 minutes to play, there was no drama in the end result, but every single one of the young pupils, it seemed, was hanging his or her holiday hopes on two particular digits appearing on the arena's scoreboards.

The kids wanted Davidson to hit the 6-7, and they were locked in, like they were listening for reindeer hooves tapping on shingles. It was No. 1 on their wish list, right up there with a Charlise Dunn post-game autograph.

After Edina Strausz's free throws got the Wildcats to 62 points, chants of, "five more points … five more points!" gained momentum. The chanting resumed when Angeliki Ziaka's jumper took the total to 64, and her corner 3-point shot at the third-quarter buzzer was right on target before it rattled out to a collective, good-natured sigh.

Out of the quarter break, the stage was set and the dramatic effect amplified. Would the Wildcats land squarely on 6-7 with one shot, or would some unfortunate bounce of the basketball leave a lump of coal in the hearts and minds of the youngest generation?

Her teammates reacted. (News of Davidson photo)

And if it all aligned in a merry way, who would deliver the gift of a shot heard 'round Belk Arena? Who would be the talk of the chatty bus rides back to school on the semester's final day?

The answer? Guard Jasmine Timmerson.

"For the last couple weeks, we've been seeing other teams and their Education Day make 6-7 and seeing the crowd go wild," she said afterward. "So that was definitely on our minds in the background a little bit before the game. We were looking forward to it."

In the first sequence of the fourth quarter, Timmerson found herself wide open for a 3-pointer on the left wing, in front of the Davidson bench. She fired, her shot was in rhythm and on the mark and the much-awaited moment had arrived, like an immaculately wrapped package on the doorstep. There was an eruption of joy, and that roar continued … for the next 20 seconds, until the next whistle.

The crowd erupted. (News of Davidson photo)

It's a moment Timmerson said she will cherish, and she couldn't remember another in her career that ignited such an instant burst of energy from so many. In a lopsided game, she and the Wildcats had come up in the clutch.

And to the kids, her shot was a game-winner, with all the trimmings.

"That's as close as it gets, for sure," she said.