The guard who hit the game winner on Sunday night to earn Baylor a national championship nearly died at lunch earlier that day choking on a jumbo shrimp. On the second floor of the team hotel just a few hours before tip, Chloe Jackson decided to eat the crustacean without cutting it and quickly began desperately coughing. She was saved by freshman Honesty Scott-Grayson, who smacked Jackson on the back as hard as she could. The shrimp came flying out, landing harmlessly on the floor.
“Honestly,” Jackson says, standing on the Amalie Arena court in Tampa, green and gold confetti strewn at her feet, “that relaxed my nerves.