KINGS POINT, N.Y. - The Sarah Lawrence women's basketball team trailed the USMMA Mariners by just three points after three quarters of play on Friday night, but a strong final frame gave the Mariners a home victory. The Gryphons held the Mariners to 13 second-quarter points to tie the game at the halftime break, but suffocating second-half defense by the hosts allowed them to end SLC's six-game winning streak.
Notable Performers
How it Happened
The game opened with a USMMA score after winning the tip, but Hudson answered back a minute later with a triple to put the Gryphons ahead and signal the imminent back-and-forth contest. After trading buckets inside, Eng-Stewart connected from deep and put the Gryphons up 8-4 on one of the conference's two NCAA tournament representatives from last season. A
Sarah Theriault-to-Eng-Stewart connection put the Gryphons up 10-4 before a USMMA score, and Coughlin struck from deep to put the visitors up by seven. Three late-quarter triples by the hosts closed the gap and after a last-minute layup by Carolae Barton, the hosts held a three-point advantage. SLC wasted no time getting back into the game in the second quarter, scoring the period's first six points thanks to inside buckets from both Eng-Stewart and Hudson. The Mariners answered with 8:10 remaining, but both teams would go cold from that point on, with over two minutes of scoreless basketball. A USMMA layup ended the drought briefly, but the scoreboard operator would get another two-plus minute break until just under the four-minute mark when Hudson returned the lead to the Gryphons. After trading points at the line, Eng-Stewart stepped into a three-pointer to give the visitors a five-point advantage with under three minutes in the half. Eight straight USMMA points returned the lead to the hosts with 29 seconds to play, but Coughlin stepped up in the final seconds, taking a pass from Hudson and connecting from distance to send the teams into the locker rooms with a tie.
The second half was a continuation of the teeter-tottering of the first 20 minutes, with a pair of ties early on before Theriault and
Jersana Moore gave SLC a three-point advantage with 4:24 remaining. Another scoring drought would plague Kings Point, with the next score coming with under three minutes to play via the Mariners. Another USMMA score would return the lead to the hosts momentarily before an Eng-Stewart response as the teams refused to be separated. USMMA scored the final two points of the frame to take a three-point lead into the final frame, but the Gryphons were well within reach. A score on USMMA's first possession would put the team ahead by five, but five minutes would pass without either team making a field goal, keeping the hosts ahead with four to play. Stewart would hit a three to get the Gryphons on the board six minutes into the frame, but those three would be the only points for SLC in the quarter and the Mariners would run away with a victory after three grueling back-and-forth periods.
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The Gryphons (8-4, Skyline 5-2)
