Issue date: 1/31/07 Section: Sports

Matthew Youngblood - THE BATTALION Aggie forward Danielle Gant fakes a pass to center Lenka Zimova Tuesday night.

Texas A&M guard Danielle Gant knew what the call would be.

With 0.3 seconds left in Tuesday night's game against Oklahoma State, Gant rebounded a missed shot by A'Quonesia Franklin and was fouled on her attempt to make the game-winning basket. However, confusion on the amount of time left when the call was made left the crowd of 7,191 on the edge of their seats as the officials reviewed the replay.

"I knew I had been fouled," Gant said. "The only thing going through my mind was going to the free throw line."

Nine seconds earlier, the No. 18 Aggies had a 2-point lead and possession of the ball when Oklahoma State guard Danielle Green stole an inbound pass and made a layup for the tie. With only six seconds remaining, Franklin quickly took the inbound pass down the court to the basket.

"Aqua told whoever was throwing in the ball just to get it in and push it down the floor," Gant said. "That's what Aqua did and I followed the shot."

The officials eventually confirmed the foul and Gant did exactly as the coaches told her. She made the first free throw for the one point lead, then missed the second so the Cowgirls would not have a chance to throw the ball down court on an inbound pass.

"We told her to make the first and miss the second," said A&M head coach Gary Blair. "She made it look too good though. She almost made that second. It's hard to tell a kid who never practices missing a shot."

Oklahoma State head coach Kurt Budke was visibly frustrated following the game, which A&M won by a score of 64-63. The Cowgirls did not have a timeout left to reset their defense prior to Franklin's baseline to baseline drive.

"I wish I would have had one," Budke said. "There's nothing we could do about it. We're waving for our kids to get back as quick as they can. They were excited, and they thought they were doing the right thing."

While the foul on Gant was questionable, Blair emphasized that all three officials blew their whistle, indicating a foul.

"Aqua did the right thing by going coast to coast," Blair said. "They made the right play by slightly blocking the ball. Gant is always around the boards, made the play, and it was a good call."

With less than 10 minutes remaining, the Aggies were down by 10 points, but a 21-6 run put A&M back in the game. Blair gave the crowd credit for keeping the Aggies in the game.

"The crowd did not let us give up," Blair said.

Junior guard Morenike Atunrase did not start the game to rest an injury, and Gant took her place in the starting lineup. Gant played all 40 minutes, scoring 16 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.

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