Box Score BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Despite career games from both Sonia Smith and Marie-Laeticia Ziba, the Sacred Heart women's basketball team saw Ryan Weise connect on a game-winning buzzer-beating three-pointer as the Pioneers suffered a heartbreaking 66-63 loss at LIU on Monday night.
After trailing by as many as seven in the first half, SHU battled all the way back and led by six with under seven minutes remaining before the Sharks answered back. With under a minute left, Smith drove the rim for a go-ahead bucket with 41 seconds left but Brandy Thomas hit her own runner to tie the score at 63-63. SHU then missed a potential game-winning three only to see the Sharks grab the rebound and push the floor to Weise who's running three from 35-feet out hit nothing but net to send LIU home with the victory.
The thrilling ending to a back-and-forth game that featured 10 lead changes and seven ties is a tough one to take for SHU who saw Smith (23) and Ziba (11) each net career-high scoring totals. Smith was dazzling on Monday night, connecting on all four of her three-point attempts while scoring 17 of her career-high 21 points in the second half alone including a stretch wherein she scored 10 straight points for SHU. Ziba, meanwhile, hit three three-pointers on her way to her first career double-digit output in a career-best 35 minutes.
1st Quarter (16-14 SHU)
- Coming in with less than 40 points scored in the last two games, SHU got off on the right foot offensively in this one as SHU shot 7-for-12 (58.3 percent) from the floor to take the two-point lead after one
- After neither side led by more than three for the opening seven-plus minutes, Olivia Dabney drove the lane and converted a three-point play that made it 14-10 Pioneers
- SHU later opened a 16-11 lead as Abigail Kangudie was left open underneath, spotted by Smith with the pass to give SHU their largest lead of the game
- Drew Winter hit from three to cut the Pioneers' lead down to two before the end of the opening period
2nd Quarter (30-26 LIU)
- After a productive quarter shooting, the Pioneers couldn't get much going in the second as two of the three made field goals for SHU came from long range
- Smith connected for her first of two three-pointers with 8:19 left in the quarter to cut into a five-point LIU lead that made it 21-19 Sharks
- That Smith three-pointer broke up a 10-0 LIU run
- The Sharks led by as many as seven late in the frame as Mia Perkins hit a jumper that made it 30-23
- Smith gave SHU some positive momentum heading into halftime as she hit a buzzer-beating three to make it 30-26 at the break
3rd Quarter (44-41 SHU)
- The seesawing affair took another turn in the third quarter as SHU outscored LIU 18-10 to take a three-point lead into the final session
- Ziba and Nikki Johnson, who missed a majority of the first half with foul trouble, connected on three-pointers in the opening 2:11 as the Pioneers trailed 36-34
- LIU rebuilt a six-point lead at 40-34 midway through the quarter but a key 7-0 run, capped by another Smith triple, forced LIU into a timeout as SHU led 41-40
- Smith continued her late-quarter heroics as she hit another three in the final 10 seconds of the frame to hand SHU a 44-41 lead
4th Quarter (66-63 LIU)
- Smith continued to score points in bunches as she scored the first seven points for SHU in the frame, extending her own personal scoring run from the end of the third, as she put up 10 straight points for the Pioneers
- Smith's final bucket in the personal scoring spree was a three-point play that put SHU ahead 51-45 with 6:38 left
- Ziba then hit again from long range with 5:12 remaining to give SHU a five-point lead at 54-49
- LIU went on a mini 8-4 run to take a 58-56 lead with less than three minutes left but Ziba answered back with her third three-pointer of the game as the lead changed hands again
- With the score tied 61-61 in the final minute, Smith gave SHU a 63-61 lead on a driving layup before Brandy Thomas connected on her drive to make it 63-63
- After a Pioneer timeout, Ziba's three misfired and LIU was able to push the pace and Weise hit a game-winning three
- After a lengthy review, Weise did indeed get the shot off before the buzzer
NOTES
- The Pioneers were playing without their two leading scorers – Adrianne Hagood (16.8 PPG) and Jayla Davis (10.3 PPG) – as the pairing were both out with injuries
- SHU shot well from the floor, going 24-for-54 (44.4 percent) and 9-for-19 from three as the 47.4 percent success rate from three is the best for SHU in an NEC game this season
- Smith had herself a career-game, going 8-for-14 from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 form three and 3-for-3 at the line to give her 23 points
- Smith easily bested her previous career-best of 16 which she netted at Wagner back on Jan. 4
- Ziba was also sensational as she put up 11 points (4-7 FG, 3-5 3FG) in 35 minutes as this marked the first time in her career she scored in double figures and the first time she played 30-plus minutes in a game
- Dabney nearly missed a double-double as she tallied 10 points, nine rebounds and three assists while playing all 40 minutes for the third time this season
- Kangudie posted seven rebounds and a career-high four blocks in her 28 minutes
NEXT GAME
The Pioneers are back in action on Friday with a 12:30 PM tip at Merrimack. The Pioneers claimed a 63-60 win over the Warriors back on Jan. 2.
