BOSTON, Mass. – Sophomore Katie Foultz (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) scored five of her 10 points in overtime as the Emerson College women's basketball team outlasted Wentworth Institute of Technology, 71-67, in non-conference action in Tansey Gymnasium.
With the win the Lions improve to 2-3 on the season while the Leopards fall to 1-3.
Neither team could get into a rhythm early before junior Baylor Johnson (Greer, S.C.) gave Wentworth a 4-2 lead. Emerson responded with a 11-0 run and took a 13-4 lead on a sophomore Natalie Clydesdale (Pittsburgh, Pa.) layup with 4:49 left in the opening quarter. The Leopards responded with an 11-0 run of their own to take a 15-13 lead on a junior Michelle McCloskey (Madison, Conn.) layup with 1:39 left. Sophomore Samantha Madden (Plainville, Mass.) had five points during the run. A 4-0 spurt by the Lions gave the visitors a 19-17 lead before one of two free throws from Johnson made it 19-18 after one quarter.
Emerson opened the second quarter outscoring Wentworth, 9-1, capped off by a three pointer from sophomore Quinn Madden (Mokena, Ill.) with 5:02 left. A three from senior Courtney McCormick (Hanson, Mass.) and a jumper from classmate Haley Sabino (Topsfield, Mass.) made it a four-point game (28-24) with 3:27 remaining in the half. One of two free throws from freshman Rachel Davey (Saratoga, Calif.) extended the lead to 29-24 before freshman Erin Morton (Norway, Maine) began a 5-1 spurt which saw the hosts take a 31-30 lead on a Madden layup. Senior Eastin Ashby (Pittston, Pa.) gave the Lions a 32-31 lead with 27 seconds left, however, on the next possession, freshman Stephanie Mini (Topsfield, Mass.) made a layup to give the Black & Gold a 33-32 lead at the break. Wentworth shot 54.5 percent in the second quarter.
Wentworth extended its lead to six (40-34) after a Mini layup with 7:09 left in the third quarter before Emerson used an 11-0 run to take a 45-40 lead with 4:36 left after a freshman Sam Boyle (Scotts Valley, Calif.) layup. Morton's layup with 1:57 left made it 45-43 and she tied the game with two free throws 21 seconds later before a Madden layup gave the Black & Gold a 47-45 lead with 72 seconds left in the quarter. One of two free throws from Magasic with 0.6 seconds left extended the lead to 50-46 after three quarters.
After Clydesdale made a layup to open the fourth quarter, Magasic hit two free throws to push the lead back to four (52-48). Emerson countered with a 7-0 run and took a 55-52 lead on a three from Clydesdale. Wentworth pulled within one (55-54) after a Sabino layup with 5:13 remaining. Both teams went cold from the floor, however, the Lions pushed their lead to five with 2:04 remaining. A free throw from Madden with 1:38 left and one from Morton with 42 seconds left made it 60-57 and a Madden jumper with 11.5 ticks left brought the hosts within a point at 60-59. With 9.4 seconds left, senior Maya Savino (Killingworth, Conn.) hit one of two from the line to make it 61-59 before sophomore Sam McGibbon (Pembroke, Mass.) tied the game with a jumper with 5.7 seconds left. Emerson advanced the ball and called time out with 4.8 seconds left. Madden missed a jumper which would have given Emerson the win at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime.
One of two free throws from Sabino and a jumper by Morton gave Wentworth a 64-61 lead before Madden hit a three to even the score at 64-all. The teams traded baskets before four straight points from Foultz gave the Lions a 70-66 lead. One of two free throws from Mini made it a three-point game and Foultz connected on one of two from the line to make it 71-67 with 10.2 ticks left to seal the win.
Foultz was one of four Emerson players to score in double figures in the win. Clydesdale finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals, Boyle had 16 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks, and three steals, while Quinn finished with 10 points.
Madden and Morton led the Leopards with 14 points apiece while Mini finished with 12 points and nine rebounds. McCormick had a team-high 10 rebounds to help Wentworth have a 46-43 advantage on the glass.
Wentworth opens Commonwealth Coast Conference play at Curry on Wednesday. That same night, Emerson opens New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference play at home against Wellesley.
For the latest on Wentworth Athletics, follow the Leopards via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Wentworth Leopards "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
