Sage almost knocks off OW in OT thriller
Troy, NY---The Sage Colleges women's basketball team hosted the Panthers of SUNY-Old Westbury on Saturday. The game would need overtime to decide a winner and the Panthers came out ahead with a 70-67 victory. OW improves to 14-4 overall and 10-3 in the Skyline Conference, while the Gators drop to 8-12 overall and 7-8 in the league.
Sage opened the action with a 7-0 run and led 25-13 with 6:32 left in the first half before OW mounted a run and tied the action at 29-29 at the break. In the second half of play, OW would control the play and lead by as many as ten points twice (54-44, 5:49) before Sage mounted their own rally and fought back to tie the action at 58-58 on a layup by rookie forward Chelsea Martin (Davenport, NY/Jefferson Central) with just 1:26 left to play. Both teams had opportunities down the stretch, but neither team found a way to have the ball fall for a win in regulation.
In the overtime period, the game was knotted at 67-67 for the 11th tie of the game with 2:08 left to play. Freshman forward Ruth Vargas (Harlem, NY/Brentwood) was fouled and made the first of two free throws, giving her team a 68-67 lead at 1:21. Seconds later, freshman guard DeAnderea Scott (Queens, NY/Ceaser Rodney) hit a lay-up giving her team a three-point edge, 70-67 with 1:16 left.
Sage's sophomore Ashleigh Nelson (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) had a three-point basket clank off the rim with 0:53 left that would have tied the action and senior forward Liz Donk (Phelps, NY/Midlakes) hauled down the offensive rebound for the Gators. Sage was unable to get a shot off in the waning seconds and a steal by senior Brittany Jones (Elmont, NY/Elmont Memorial) with 0:04 left sealed the win for the Panthers.
For the contest, OW's freshman guard Kim Weathers (Wyandanch, NY/Wyandanch) led all scorers with 24 points, while Scott netted 17 points and a double-double with 10 rebounds. Vargas finished with 14 points and a pair of blocks for the Panthers.
Sage's Martin led the Gators with 21 points, while sophomore Kara Hackett's (Peru, NY/Peru Central) had a double-double with 12 points and a season-high 15 rebounds. She added four blocks and moved into the No. 5 spot on Sage's career block list as she now 36. Senior Jessica Byerwalters (Coeymans Hollow, NY/Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk) finished with 13 points with seven rebounds, four assists and a pair of blocksd and steals in 35 minutes of work.
Sage returns to action on Sunday, February 13 hosting Yeshiva University in a 1 p.m. contest in the Kahl Center. Sage will hold their Jumpers For Jacob 2 game to help raise funds for Jacobs' Angels to help with Jacob Mooney's health care costs as he is suffering from cancer.
OW is back in action on February 8 facing Farmingdale State on the road in a Skyline Conference game at 6 p.m.
