Cousin straight cash from FT line (Basketball)
With 5,300 fans cheering and the game on the line, Illinois State University guard Anthony Cousin of Anchorage stepped to the free-throw line looking to ice Northern Iowa.
He didn’t think about the moment, the situation or the crowd.
What was on his mind?
“To be honest, nothing really,” Cousin told me. “It’s something like a routine because we do it so often in practice.”
Practice makes perfect.
Cousin, of South High fame, wasn’t perfect but he was real close, sinking 5 of 6 free throws in the final minute to secure tonight’s 65-61 win in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams.
The junior standout finished with 11 points, his third game with double figures.
With his team clinging to a 60-58 lead with 60 seconds left, Cousin went to the line and drilled two foul shots. He did it again with 39 seconds to go. And he nearly did it again with 15 seconds left, making the first and missing the second.
Still, it couldn’t take the shine of his clutch performance.
“That’s the fun part about college basketball when times are important and everyone is counting on you to knock them down,” he said. “It felt good.”
The victory improved Illinois State to 9-3 overall while snapping a nagging 7-game losing streak to Northern Iowa.
“Very big win,” said Cousin.