Montclair, NJ – The College of New Jersey's Shannon Devitt hit an off-balance bank shot from the elbow as time expired to send the Lions past women's basketball 64-62 in overtime during New Jersey Athletic Conference play Saturday.
TCNJ (6-3, 3-1 NJAC) reeled off the first four points of the contest before junior
TAYLOR BROWN hit a three-pointer to get the Red Hawks (5-4, 3-2) on the scoreboard. The two sides would trade the next few baskets, with junior
KAYLA BUSH netting Montclair's next four markers. Senior
CERYS MACLELLAND capped off first period scoring with a jumper off an
ALEX MCKINNON offensive rebound.
With the score level at 18, TCNJ recorded the final nine points of the second quarter, entering halftime with a 27-18 advantage. The Lions shot a 44.0% clip over the first 20 minutes of action and held Montclair to just eight field goals in the opening half.
The run continued to open the third quarter, but the Red Hawks refused to go away. Montclair held TCNJ scoreless for six minutes in the frame and was able to embark on an 11-0 spurt. The Lions entered the fourth quarter with the last three points and took a three-point advantage into the fourth.
The lead grew to eight at 44-36, but a 9-1 run on three straight possessions leveled the game at 45. Freshman
NICKIE CARTER, McKinnon, and Brown all connected from behind the arc to pull the game even. MacLelland hit a jumper to establish a four-point lead with under three minutes remaining, but Jen Byrne's lofting three-pointer switched the game back in favor of TCNJ.
A Devitt free-throw with 26 seconds left made it 55-53, but MacLelland was able to notch a steal and score with 11 seconds left. Montclair nearly swiped the inbounds pass but were unable to corral the loose ball, and the game went to overtime.
McKinnon's triple with 1:42 left in the extra session gave Montclair a lead at 62-60, but TCNJ tied 40 seconds later on a Byrne jumper. Bush and Devitt traded baskets, giving Montclair possession with 31 seconds to go. Montclair was unable to convert on their possession, and Devitt's off-balance shot gave TCNJ the two-point victory.
MacLelland and McKinnon posted identical double-doubles, going for 14 points and 11 rebounds. The senior guard also added seven assists and four steals. Brown added 10 points and eight rebounds, with Bush notching nine points and five boards. Devitt led all scorers with 25 points to go along with 10 rebounds while Byrne recorded 15 points and 10 rebounds.
The Red Hawks return to the Panzer Athletic Center on Saturday, December 28, for the MSU Holiday Tournament. Montclair will face off with Bethany College at 1:00 pm while York College (Pa.) and Hartwick College will play at 3:00 pm. The consolation game will be held on Sunday, December 29, at 1:00 pm with the championship game at 3:00 pm.
