January 21, 2011

"Turn up the lights in here baby, extra bright I want y'all to see this..."

"Flash lights, spot lights, strobe lights, street lights" SportsCenter gives junior Zac Swansey "all of the lights" after his game winning three over Austin Peay on Thursday night.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Junior Zac Swansey had 12 points and five assists in the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagle's upset victory over no. 1 in the Ohio Valley Conference, the Governors of Austin Peay. However, his most important three points of the game came with 2.7 seconds left on the clock and a score tied at 68-all.

After sophomore Terrell Barnes controlled the last of his several offensive boards of the game, he dished the ball to Swansey, who launched a textbook three for the win, with Caleb Brown's hand in his face.

This wasn't the first time that Swansey has pulled through in the clutch for Tech, or in his college career in general. As a freshman at the University of Georgia, he hit a buzzer-beater over Kentucky to clinch the SEC title for the Bulldogs and send them to the NCAA tournament. Just last week, he hit multiple clutch shots to keep TTU in their game against UT Martin, which ended in an eventual 109-105 win for the Golden Eagles in three overtime periods.

"Swansey has always made big plays throughout his career and when the game's on the line, we trust the ball in his hands," Sutton told FOXSports.com after the game. "He has earned that."

"When in doubt, give the ball to Swansey," said Tech assistant coach Russ Willemsen.

Enough said.

Swansey's game-winning shot and the upset over the top-ranked Governors earned him and the rest of the Golden Eagles the top spot on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays of the Day:

SportsCenter's No. 1 play - January 20, 2011