This is the time of year that people typically go out of their way to give thanks, and what better reason to be thankful than an unranked basketball team beating No. 1 Duke in absolutely stunning fashion? Stephen F. Austin provided that gift Tuesday night, toppling the Blue Devils in an 85-83 overtime thriller at Cameron Indoor to become the first non-ACC team to beat Duke at home in nearly 20 years.
SFA's Nathan Bain had the distinct honor of being the individual who got to plunge the game-winning dagger into the heart of Duke as he hit a layup at the buzzer in overtime for the win. A good majority of the nation was indebted to Bain for his service, and plenty of people quickly found a way to settle up.
Bain is from from Freeport, Bahamas -- one of the areas that was hit hardest by Hurricane Dorian in September. The category five storm wreaked havoc on the city and not only cost Bain's family most of their physical possessions, but it also destroyed the church that Bain's father worked at as a minister.
After the storm, Stephen F. Austin's athletic department set up a GoFundMe page to collect donations that would go straight to Bain's family as they attempted to get back on their feet. Bain's game-winner on Tuesday night helped direct plenty of attention to that GoFundMe page and thousands of dollars quickly began pouring in courtesy of grateful fans across the county.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Bain's family's campaign received more than $54,000 in donations -- shattering the page's initial goal of $25,000. According to GoFundMe, the total was skyrocketed by more 1,500 donors across all 50 states, with the average donation size clocking in at $36. It was the No. 2 campaign on the entire site Wednesday.
Nathan Bain's home in the Bahamas was basically destroyed by Hurricane Dorian.
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) November 27, 2019
So was the church his family runs.
He just beat Duke at the buzzer.
Here's the link to help his family: https://t.co/ZYweIIlokr
Before Tuesday's game, the fundraising page had been stuck at around $2,000 for nearly a month -- well short of the $25,000 goal set.
Some people might say that there's nothing better than a brutal Duke upset but a brutal Duke upset leading to the promotion and success of a philanthropic cause is certainly a win-win.
