By: Houghton Athletics Release
HOUGHTON, NY— With 27 seconds left on the clock, Emie Taylor grabbed an offensive rebound and sank the go-ahead put-back then blocked the potential game-winning shot on the other end to lift the Houghton Highlanders past the visiting Sage Gators on Saturday afternoon, 64-63.
In the opening minutes it looked as though the Gators, who entered the contest ranked second in the Empire 8 conference, would run away with the game as they quickly opened up a 10-point lead. The Highlanders, however, would score the quarter's final five points, trimming the deficit to only five at the end of the first.
Houghton continued to close the gap in the second. With 5:12 to play before the half Caitlyn Cybart drained a three-pointer to pull the Highlanders within a point, and Brooke Lewandowski followed with a layup to give Houghton the lead.
The teams traded baskets the remainder of the way until Sage's Sammy Pasinella hit a three of her own to put the Gators up by two heading into the break.
In the third, the Gators finally seemed to regain the momentum, reeling off a 7-0 run to take a five-point lead with only 1:09 remaining in the quarter. But Hannah Cybart responded with a three-point play, and following a Lewandowski steal and a missed three-pointer, Alexis Klohr grabbed the offensive rebound and converted the put-back to tie the game heading into the final 10 minutes.
With three minutes remaining the Gators sank a pair from the line to go up by two, but a Hannah Cybart layup evened the game again. Two possessions later, Cori Beck grabbed a missed shot by the Gators and drove the length of the court, where she found Houghton center, Emie Taylor at the top of the arc. With the game on the line, Taylor pulled up for her first three of the year, and found nothing but the bottom of the net, giving Houghton a three-point lead with just over a minute to go.
The Gators would not be deterred, as Megan Flynn sank a pair of free throws and Madasyn Bush stole an errant Houghton pass before Kaitlyn Bowman made a layup to put Sage up by one with only 42 seconds left on the clock.
On the ensuing possession, Houghton worked the ball around before Beck found a seam and drove the lane. Two Gator defenders converged on Beck at the basket, forcing an errant shot, but Taylor grabbed the rebound and put the ball up and in to put Houghton back on top.
With one final opportunity, the Highlanders knocked the ball loose and as the Gators attempted a final shot, Taylor swatted the ball away, sealing the Houghton victory.
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 64 | Sage – 63
Records: Houghton: 3-14 (1-5 Empire 8) | Sage: 9-9 (5-2 Empire 8)
Venue: The Nielsen Center, Houghton College | Attendance: 136
NOTABLE STATS
>> Sage outrebounded Houghton on both ends of the floor, 26-to-18 on the offensive glass, and 27-to-21 on the defensive. The Highlanders, however, turned the ball over six fewer times, 12-to-18 and shot 5.4% better from the floor, including an outstanding 53% in the final quarter.
>> Hannah and Caitlyn Cybart combined to score 29 points for the Highlanders. Hannah collected 16 points, six rebounds and two steals, while her sister added 13 points and seven rebounds.
>> Taylor finished with 12 points, going 5-of-9 from the floor, and added six rebounds and three blocked shots.
>> Flynn posted an impressive double-double for the Gators, finishing with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Bush and Pasinella chipped in 15 and 11 points apiece, respectively.
UP NEXT
The Highlanders travel cross-county on Tuesday, January 28 to challenge rival Alfred University at 7:30 p.m.