Big Ben toppled down this weekend — and as he fell, 2,612 fans rose and cheered at the once-in-a-lifetime sight.

“[Ben Rand] makes all of his free throws,” NIU coach Rob Judson said. “And makes a shot that I think Huskies fans will probably remember for a long time.”

‘The Shot,’ as it will be known to the fans who witnessed it, came at the 7:16 mark in the second half of the Huskies 86-60 victory over Western Michigan.

The Huskies already established their dominance in the contest, as the scoreboard read 73-49 NIU. But Rand, nor the rest of the team, was ready to coast through the game.

The sophomore guard found himself alone driving into the lane, as senior Anthony Maestranzi dished the ball into the paint.

The transfer then began to ascend in the air for a lay up, where he found Broncos guard Brian Snider waiting for him.

Snider came in contact with Rand, putting the Rochelle-native almost parallel with the floor with his legs flying out from underneath him as he came back into contact with the Earth.

But as Rand was falling back to the ground, the ball flew up near the top of the glass and found its way right through the net.

“I still can’t explain it. The basketball gods, the stars align just right, the winds blow from the east,” said WMU coach Steve Hawkins. “He ran the lane hard, and he kind of flips it up and it goes in. No question, there was the evening in a nut shell.”

The Huskies weren’t shocked by the Rand’s drive that ended in the magical lay up.

“Ben is an athletic player, there isn’t much that he can do on the basketball court that would surprise any of us,” Judson said. “He has a never die attitude, and it was one of those things when he caught it he was going to make it work somehow and he did.”

Rand’s shot did more than just leave an impression on the bruised spirits of the Broncos; it brought the Convo Nation to its feet.

The crowd had already been supporting the Huskies earlier in the half, a banner that read “We support horse slaughter” was held and fans participated in a wave that went around the Convo ring three times during an officials time out.

Rand’s shot brought the Convo to an energy level that has only been witnessed a few times during home matches this season.

“I mean any time we can come into the Convo and have a good crowd behind us that helps our energy go up,” said sophomore guard Ryan Paradise. “You ask anyone on the team that helps, no matter if we’re winning or losing it helps if the crowds behind us.”

Rand left the court at the 4:09 mark to a standing ovation. As he sat on the bench, the guard smiled, drank his Gatorade, and wiped the sweat off of his face.