Top 10 Exciting Games of 2015-16 - #10 Women's Basketball Overtime Win at Susquehanna
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- Moravian College is going to take a look back at its 2015-16 athletic campaign with a pair of top 10 lists. The first list starting today will be the top 10 exciting games from the past year with a look at our No. 10 highlight – the women's basketball team posting a 95-90 overtime win at Susquehanna University.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- Moravian College is going to take a look back at its 2015-16 athletic campaign with a pair of top 10 lists. The first list starting today will be the top 10 exciting games from the past year with a look at our No. 10 highlight – the women's basketball team posting a 95-90 overtime win at Susquehanna University.
The Greyhounds, who were 20-8 overall last season, played a total of three overtime games in 2015-16. The contest in Selinsgrove on Saturday, January 2 was the first overtime game of the year for Moravian, and it also began the second half of the season after a 20-day layoff for the holidays.
Head Coach Mary Beth Spirk looked back at the Susquehanna game that pushed the Hounds to 10-2 overall and 2-0 in Landmark Conference action at the time.
"I really thought it was a game we had to win," stated Spirk. "We were starting the second half of the season with a conference game on the road, and we had to come together as a starting unit. I had a sense that the starters were really gelling, so we went with them for big minutes.
"I remember thinking that the game would not make our season, but it would change a lot in where we lined up in the conference," continued Spirk. "It also was a test to see if we could win a tough game on the road. Getting that first win in the new year was huge."
Senior forward Alesha Marcks and graduate student forward Alexis Wright gave the Hounds a quick 4-0 lead in the first quarter. Susquehanna would cut into the lead slowly, eventually tying the game at 16-16 with 2:44 left in the opening period. Wright sandwiched baskets around three-pointers by senior guard Emily MacDonnell and Karine Polgar for a 10-0 run to push the lead to 26-16. Wright made another jumper just before the end of the quarter as Moravian lead 28-19 after 10 minutes of action.
"It was two evenly matched teams that were pretty good offensively," commented Spirk. "We happened to get hot early, then went into a bit of a lull while Susquehanna got going offensively."
The three-pointers by MacDonnell and Polgar during the 10-0 run where the only points in the game not scored by Moravian's starters, who all netted double figures and combined for 89 points. Wright ended up leading the way with 27 points and a game high 19 rebounds for her 49th career double-double as she passed 1,500 career points.
"Alexis was dominant," explained Spirk. "I thought it was a turning point for her for the year. She realized she was back to her pre-injury self. We saw her do things with confidence and ease on both ends. Her teammates sensed it as well. She ruled the boards in most every game after that one."
Junior forward Camille McPherson opened the second quarter with a three-pointer to push the lead to 12 points, 31-19, and that would be the largest advantage of the game. It was also McPherson's only points until the fourth quarter. The Hounds had a 40-31 lead after a three-point play by junior guard Morgan Calabrese with 5:11 until halftime; however, Susquehanna scored the next 13 points to take a 44-40 lead. Susquehanna held a 47-45 advantage at the break.
"I remember Morgan got off to a hot start and hit a few jumpers to get us going," commented McPherson. "Susquehanna was an aggressive offensive team and was led by two All-Conference shooters who could shoot from anywhere past half court. They also had a bench player step up and have a big half for them."
Susquehanna also opened the scoring in the third quarter and led 52-47 before 12-0 run by the Greyhounds put Moravian back in front 59-52 with 4:28 left in the period after a three-point play by Wright. Susquehanna responded and went back in front 63-61 before a jumper from Wright sent the teams to the fourth quarter tied at 63-63.
The final ten minutes of regulation would be a close back-and-forth affair with neither team moving ahead by more than three points. McPherson gave Moravian a 69-67 lead with her first points since the second quarter with 7:13 to play. Susquehanna moved ahead 77-74 before lay-ups from McPherson and Wright put the Hounds up 78-77 with 1:05 remaining. Calabrese, who netted 23 points, and senior guard Samantha Caligiuri hit layups with 38 and 14 seconds on the clock, respectively, in the back-and-forth action as Moravian led 82-81 after Caligiuri's bucket.
McPherson connected on two free throws with nine ticks left in regulation for a three-point lead but Susquehanna connected on a three-pointer five seconds later to knot the score and force overtime.
"I was in some foul trouble in the first half, so I knew I had to be aggressive in the second half," stated McPherson. "Even though I wasn't having a great game, I knew my coaches and teammates trusted me with the ball in my hands. I was able to get some easy buckets around the rim late in the game, which definitely gave me some momentum going into overtime, where I knew we had to close out the game."
McPherson, who finished with 18 points including 15 in the fourth quarter and overtime, took over to start the extra five minutes with a pair of baskets and a free throw to help Moravian build am 89-86 lead halfway through overtime. Marcks added one free throw and Caligiuri , who finished with 11 points and five assists, connected twice at the charity strip to make Moravian's lead 92-86 with 52 seconds left. McPherson added two more free throws with 44 seconds left as the lead was 94-88. Marcks, who scored 10 points with seven rebounds, added one more free throw to finish off the scoring and seal the win.
"Camille took the pressure off of Alexis and Alesha, which made us a better team," Spirk said. "Again, her confidence really took off after that game. We all saw how she could dominate the game especially offensively. She made us a more competitive team as teams had to defend both outside and inside."
The contest started a four-game winning streak in Landmark Conference action for the Greyhounds.
"It was very important to get this win after the break," McPherson finished. "We wanted to keep up the same pace we were playing with early on in the season, and any conference win on the road is always a big win."
You can read the original game story at http://moraviansports.com/sports/wbkb/2015-16/releases/20160102t6l3ux.
Game number nine of the countdown will be released on Friday, July 1.
