Nun’s prayer answered with three at buzzer

DALLAS — Donte Ingram picked the perfect spot for this game-winning shot.

Ingram hit a three-pointer from the March Madness logo just before the buzzer, lifting 11th-seeded Loyola-Chicago over Miami 64-62 in a firstround South Regional game Thursday.

“Well, it’s pretty simple to know why we call it March Madness,” said Hurricanes coach Jim Larranaga, left holding his head in stunned disbelief after Ingram’s shot.

In 2006, Larranaga took 11th-seeded George Mason to the Final Four. This time, it was Loyola’s turn to celebrate after making its first tournament appearance in 33 years.

The shot from well beyond the key came with just a splitsecond left, and was set up by a pass from Marques Townes. It happened after Lonnie Walker IV missed a free throw with a chance to give Miami a three-point lead with nine seconds remaining.

“I thank Marques for making that pass,” said Ingram, who was 3 of 8 from beyond the arc and scored 13 points. “Any one of us could have hit that shot, but I was just fortunate enough to be in the position.”

Loyola (29-5), which will face third-seeded Tennessee on Saturday, was boosted by a pregame prayer from its team chaplain, 98-year-old Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt.

She’s held that post for more than two decades and, sitting courtside in her wheelchair, got hugs from the Ramblers when it was over.

“I just gave a big sigh of relief and said, ‘Thank God,’” Schmidt said about Ingram’s shot.

The sixth-seeded Hurricanes (22-10) led most of the second half but couldn’t pull away in the final minutes.

“After they made that shot, I mean, it’s definitely a dagger to the heart,” said Walker, who led the Hurricanes with 12 points. “It definitely hurts seeing a shot like that go down, but I’m proud of my team.”