CALDWELL, N.J. - In a nail biting double overtime thriller, the Southern Connecticut women's basketball defeated Caldwell University, 75-72, at the George R. Newman Center. The Owls improved to 6-2 overall, while the Cougars fell to 6-5 overall.

The Owls received a balance effort on both ends of the floor. Senior Zoë Amalbert (Nanuet, N.Y.) and graduate student Jessica Fressle (Levittown, N.Y.) led the team in points with 17 each. Amalbert picked up seven assists and two steals, while Fressle went 8-9 from the free throw line with seven rebounds, three steals, and a block. Senior Delaney Connors (West Hartford, Conn.) had 15 points, six rebounds, and two steals, while sophomore Katie Williamson (Dublin, Ireland) shot 83-percent from the field and had 10 points, eight rebounds, two steals, and a block.

Quarter Scores
Q1: SCS 12, CAL 9
Q2: SCS 26, CAL 26
Q3: SCS 44, CAL 36
Q4: SCS 60, CAL 60
OT1: SCS 68, CAL 68
OT2: SCS 75, CAL 72

How It Happened

• The first set of points in the game took over a minute and a half to be scored before  Amani Boston (Boston, Mass.) sunk a layup. Both teams traded buckets through the first ten minutes, but it was the Owls who led by three after the first frame. Caldwell had 10 turnovers, while the Owls picked up six of their eventual 16 steals in the first quarter.
• Quarter two was a push-and-pull affair, much like the first frame. There were four lead changes in the quarter that ultimately saw both squads head into halftime deadlocked at 26.
• After both sides started the third quarter strong, Southern exploded with a 15-6 run that gave them an eight-point lead going into the fourth.
• Caldwell's offense responded heavily in the final quarter of action. The Cougars rallied with a 13-4 run with 1:23 remaining in the game. Caldwell then tied it on a Shanice Grave's three-pointer with three seconds to go and sent the game into overtime.
• With 59 seconds remaining in the first overtime period, Connors buried a shot from beyond the arc to put the Owls up by three. Casey O'Shaughnessey responded for Caldwell with a three-pointer with 47 seconds left to tie it again. Williamson picked up a massive rebound with three seconds left before Southern called a timeout and advanced the ball down the court. The Owls attempt to win it was halted with a turnover and the game went into a second overtime.
• The second overtime period proved to be as nail biting as the rest of the game, but Southern dug deep to gain a result. Fressle picked up five of Southern's seven points, while Williamson played solid defense and recorded four rebounds in the second period of extra time to help the Owls surge to victory in double overtime.

Notes

• This was the first time the Owls have played a double overtime game since the Feb. 4, 1989 when Southern lost to Franklin Pierce, 89-83. 
• Jessica Fressle has recorded at least 15 points in every single game for the Owls this season.
• Zoë Amalbert has six games with at least five assists this season.
• Amalbert also has scored double digit points in all eight games the Owls have played.
• Katie Williamson tied a career-high in points with 10. Williamson first set her career-high on Nov. 17 at Dominican. 
• Delaney Connors now has five games with double digit point totals.
• Connors also topped a career-high in steals with three. Her previous career-high was two steals against New Haven on Dec. 1.
• Patricia Conroy tied a career-high in steals with five. Her career-high was set on Nov. 28 against Holy Family.
• As a team, the Owls had the most steals (16) in a game this season. The most steals they had prior to this game was on Nov. 28 against Holy Family (13).
   

Up Next
The Owls will gear up to host Jefferson College on Sunday, Dec. 18 at Moore Field House.