MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – A quick 5-0 run midway through the overtime session and late free throws gave the No. 8 Gannon women's basketball team a tough 78-76 overtime victory at Millersville Tuesday evening in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover action. In the process, the Lady Knights handed the Marauders their first loss of the season.
Gannon improved to 7-1 in overtime games under head coach
Cleve Wright. Trailing 72-69 in overtime,
Jen Papich (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) started the decisive run with a lay-up at the 3:09 mark.
Doriyon Glass (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) followed with a fast-break lay-up while being fouled after a steal. The redshirt sophomore hit the ensuing free throw to give the Lady Knights a 74-72 lead with 2:48 left.
Kelley Sundberg's (Mansfield, Conn./E.O. Smith) free throw with 2:07 showing on the clock completed the run, giving Gannon a 75-72 advantage.
Two more Sundberg freebies later pushed the Gannon lead to 77-73 with 41 seconds left. But the game was far from over as Carly Gallagher drained a long three-pointer eight seconds later. The Lady Knights got the ball to Sundberg who ran out most of the clock, before
Kelsey McCoy (Sylvania, Ohio/Sylvania Northview) controlled an offensive rebound after a missed three-pointer with 13 seconds left. Millersville was then forced to foul and sent Sundberg to the line with four seconds remaining. The junior point guard made the first attempt for a 78-76 lead. However, she missed the second and the Marauders were unable to get the ball down court for a potential game-tying shot.
Gannon led 31-30 at halftime after a back-and-forth first half. The two squads exchanged the lead six times during the first 20 minutes. Millersville held a 28-23 advantage late in the half, before Gannon ended the stanza with an 8-2 run. Glass drilled back-to-back triples in the final minute to give the Lady Knights a 31-28 lead. A Marauders' lay-up with two ticks left sent the visitors to the locker room with a 31-30 edge.
Millersville grabbed the lead right back 12 seconds after the break and produced a six-point lead less than two minutes into the second half. However Gannon responded with a 16-3 blitz that gave the Lady Knights a 47-40 lead. Four three-pointers found the bottom of the net, including a pair from
Mollie Sebald (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name). McCoy and
Brittany Batts (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County) also hit from long range.
Gannon never trailed again during regulation. The Lady Knights' largest lead of the evening came at 59-49 with 9:01 left, before Millersville slowly chipped away. A three-pointer from Gallagher with 50 seconds left knotted the game at 69, before neither team was able to get the game-winner during the final three possessions of regulation.
Papich and Batts led the Gannon offensive unit with 16 points each. Batts went 4-of-9 from behind the arc, giving her at least four three-pointers in three consecutive games. Sebald chipped in a season-high 15 points off the bench. Glass finished with 12 points.
Gannon shot 38.7 percent (24-62) from the field, 42.9 percent (12-28) from three-point range and 78.3 percent (18-23) from the free throw line. The Golden Knights reached double figures in three-pointers for the third time this season.
Gallagher led all scorers on both teams with 22 points for Millersville despite hitting only 8-of-19 attempts. Aurielle Mosley and Mashira Newman added 21 and 15 points, respectively. Miesha Cousins narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds.
Millersville shot 38.2 percent (26-68) from the floor, 33.3 percent (7-21) from long range and 53.1 percent (17-32) from the charity stripe.
Gannon, ranked eighth in the latest USA Today Sports Division II Coaches' Poll, improved to 9-1 overall and 4-0 in the PSAC with its eighth consecutive victory. Millersville suffered its first loss while dropping to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in league play. The Marauders were among others receiving votes in the latest national poll. The Lady Knights have won four straight games against Millersville. The streak started with a 65-48 victory in the 2010 NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional title game hosted at the Hammermill Center.
Head coach
Cleve Wright's club completes a two-game PSAC crossover trip Wednesday, December 15 at Shippensburg. Game time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
