Box Score
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Southern Connecticut State University women's basketball team fell in overtime in a tough Northeast-10 conference contest to Merrimack, 74-70, on Saturday afternoon.
With 16 seconds remaining in the game the Owls held a three point lead, but the Warrior's Chloe Rothman hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 64 apiece sending the game into overtime.
Southern only led once in overtime at 65-64 after
Jackie Beathea (Annandale, Va.) converted one of two free throws. Merrimack would go on a 10-5 run to close out the game and take the win improving to 11-4 overall and 7-4 in Northeast-10 play. The Owls fall to 4-10 and 1-10 in Northeast-10 play.
The Owls led the majority of the first half, claiming a 14 point lead with 12 minutes gone by after freshman
Katie Stopera (Hollis, N.H.) scored two of her season-high 14 points to give the Owls a 29-15 lead.
The Warrrior's answered with an 8-0 spurt to cut the lead to six, but the Owls would add one to that margin and go into the break ahead, 34-27.
Merrimack would put together an 11-3 run to take the lead a quarter way through the second half and would hold the lead throughout the second half. Rothman would score nine points during that run on her way to a game-high 34 points for Merrimack.
The Owls would trail for most of the second half until
Mariah Hankton (Upper Marlboro, Md.) forced a turnover and converted a layup on the other end to give Southern a 63-61 lead with 39 seconds remaining. After a Stopera free throw 14 seconds later, Rothman would tie the game on a three-pointer to send the game to overtime where Merrimack prevailed, 74-70.
Beathea finished with her seventh double-double of the year scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
Moni Smith-Ocran (Bronx, N.Y.) would also give the Owls a double-double, tying a career-high 18 rebounds and contributed 11 points in the loss.
The Owls held Merrimack to 37 percent shooting for the field and forced 25 turnovers.
SCSU will be back in action on Wednesday when they host Saint Anselm to Moore Field House for a Northeast-10 contest at 5:30 p.m.
