Redshirt senior guard Katie Hempen was just one shot away from the making the finals of the NCAAW three-point contest, but the money ball bounced off the rim.
She finished with 17 points in the semifinals, just short of the 18 scored by University of Minnesota redshirt senior guard Rachel Banham.
Banham went on to win the tournament and then defeat Georgia Tech's graduate guard Adam Smith, who won the men's three-point shootout, when the two competed afterward.
In the women's competition, there were eight competitors. Two of them shot at the same time on opposite sides of the court. Two players tied for fourth with 15 baskets in the first round, and both were allowed to compete in the semifinals.
Hempen's 18 baskets in the first round led the field. Because she was winning and there were an odd number of athletes in the semis, she shot last and shot alone.
With all eyes on her, she missed a few baskets early in the second round but picked up the pace. Hempen's money ball shot on the fourth rack rolled in and out, setting the stage for an intense fifth.
She made three. Trailing by one, she hoisted the money ball. It didn't fall, and she was knocked out of the tournament.
Hempen, who is ASU's leader in career three-pointers made, averaged 9.3 points per game this season and shot 43.3 percent from beyond the arc. She averaged 1.97 three-pointers per game.
Reach the sports editor at logan.newman@asu.edu or follow @Logan_Newsman on Twitter.
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