PORTLAND, OR (AP/CBS SF) — Just over 90 seconds into the second half of the NCAA Tournament Round 1 game between St. Mary’s and Indiana, the on-court came to a screeching halt.
After the basketball got stuck between the backboard and the shot clock, players and referees alike tried with no success to get it free.
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Just when it was looking like there might be no solution, a couple of members from the Indiana cheerleading squad came up with an idea.
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A petite cheerleader was lifted by one of her male counterparts behind the basketball hoop. After some initial adjustment, she was able to snatch the stuck ball from the top of the backboard and game play was able to resume.
The tricky retrieval was met with cheers from fans of both teams. CBS Sports tweeted out a video of the rescue that quickly went viral, racking up nearly 250,000 views on Twitter in under two hours.
“THE CHEERLEADER SAVES THE DAY!”
When hope was lost, a hero emerged. pic.twitter.com/8fjEydjr2j
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 18, 2022
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The cheerleader likely wasn’t thrilled with the game’s final result. Fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s rolled to an 82-53 victory over No. 12 seed Indiana.
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