FAIRFIELD, CONN. (November 20, 2013)—The Sacred Heart women's basketball team dropped their second overtime game of the season Wednesday at home in the William H. Pitt Center. Junior Gabrielle Washington (Mesa, Ariz.) led all players with 23 points while shooting .526 (10-for-19) from the field as the Pioneers fell 62-59 to Villanova. With the loss, SHU falls to 1-2 on the season, and the Wildcats improve to 4-0.
Villanova took a quick 6-0 lead thanks to a pair of threes. Missed layups hurt the Pioneers early, but Washington, who accounted for six of Sacred Heart's first eight points, put SHU on the board laying one in three and a half minutes into the game.
The Pioneers trailed for the majority of the period, but with 7:56 on the clock, freshman Shelby Hickey (Littleton, Colo.) landed a trey from the top of the key giving the Pioneers their first lead of the game 15-13. After Alissa Tarsi (Clinton, N.J.) added two more for Sacred Heart, the Wildcats strung together three layups to reclaim the lead 20-17.
Sacred Heart held them there and battled back. Hickey hit a shot from the wing to narrow the gap. Then, Adaysha Williams (LaCrosse, Wis.) sunk a jumper in the paint just seconds before the halftime buzzer to send the Pioneers into the break up 21-20.
SHU increased its lead in the second half shooting 50% from the court. Washington boasted an 11-point run over four minutes to give the Pioneers a seven-point lead. The Wildcats clawed their way back and brought it to a one-point game with two foul shots from Katherine Coyer.
The game remained close until the end, but the Pioneers always managed to fend off Villanova when they got to close. With SHU up 50-47 and 44 second left on the clock, Devon Kane was sent to the charity stripe to shoot three. The senior guard knocked down all three to knot the game late.
Ericka Norman (Chino Hills, Calif.), who flirted with a double-double tallying seven points and nine rebounds, put SHU back on top with a layup with 18 seconds left. Villanova Head Coach Harry Perretta called a timeout to strategize. It worked as Kane landed a jumper in the paint knotting the score and sending the game into overtime.
The teams exchanged points early in the overtime period, but tough defensive play on both ends limited scoring past the opening minute. With 1:11 on the clock, Kane, who scored all of Villanova's points in the period, got the layup plus one putting the Wildcats up for the final time. She sealed the 62-59 win for Villanova landing a jumper with less than 30 seconds to play.
Sacred Heart hits the road again on Saturday when they face the Saint Peter's Peahens at 2:00 p.m.
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