Texas team pulls off college basketball coup

A Bahamian student-athlete’s game-winning layup shattered Duke University’s almost 20-year winning streak against nonconference opponents at home. Nathan Bain of Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, Texas, led his unranked team to an 85-83 victory over the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils in Durham, N.C.

Who is Bain? The fifth-year senior grew up in Freeport, Bahamas, one of the areas hit hard by Hurricane Dorian in September. The category 5 storm damaged his family’s home and nearly destroyed the church where his father serves as pastor. His college community and fans from across the country have rallied to help his family. “My family lost a whole lot this year, and I'm just playing this game for them,” Bain said in a television interview following the game. “I just want to make my country proud, and my whole team is behind me.”

Dig deeper: Read Laura G. Singleton’s report for WORLD about post-Dorian recovery efforts in the Bahamas.