Oklahoma guard Gabbi Ortiz is having a breakout season from three-point range, but she’d been slumping through six Big 12 games at only 29.4 percent. But Ortiz caught fire during Wednesday’s game at Kansas State with five threes in the first half, and the last one, a buzzer-beater as the arena’s lights went out, was by far the craziest.
You can't tell, but Oklahoma's Gabbi Ortiz hit this 3-pointer to close out the 1st half. The lights went out at Bramlage as she fired her shot. pic.twitter.com/2feSl0Ufla
— Shane Jackson (@SJacksonMERC) January 18, 2018
You can’t see it catch nylon, but we’ll trust the official scorer here.
And no, the temporary blackout was not a result of Kansas’ state budget woes. According to The Manhattan Mercury’s Greg Woods, a Kansas State official accidentally triggered a pressure-sensitive light switch.
I'm told by a K-State official that a light operator had his finger close to the pressure-sensitive button that controls stadium lights, and a "static discharge" triggered the early shutoff. https://t.co/4Wdon8qgXC
— Greg Woods (@GregWWoods) January 18, 2018
Props to Ortiz for following through even as the lights shut off. Who would pay for a blackout three-point contest between her and men’s team standout Trae Young to determine the best sharpshooter in the state of Oklahoma?