Boxscore
NEW CASTLE, Del. - Freshman forward Devonne Richardson scored a season-high 25 points to go with 15 rebounds to lead an absolutely spent Goldey-Beacom College women's basketball team to a wild double-overtime victory over its cross-town rival Wilmington University, 70-67.
Playing in its first double-overtime game since Jan. 29, 2004, the Lightning outscored the Wildcats, 11-8 in the second extra five-minute session to earn their first victory at the Pratt Center since Jan. 22, 2007 and first season-sweep of their Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference rival since the 2006-07 season.
GBC, which won both games in this season series by identical scores of 70-67, improved to 12-9 overall and 8-5 in the CACC. The Lightning have won 11 of their last 13 games. Meanwhile, Wilmington University fell to 9-11 overall and 6-6 in conference play.
Both teams struggled from the field with GBC shooting 32.9 percent to Wilmington's 32.4 percent. The Lightning may have put the Wildcats away earlier if not for their troubles from the foul line (18-for-36, 50 percent). But GBC took better care of the ball with 13 turnovers to Wilmington's 19, and held a slight 57-55 rebounding advantage.
Redshirt-sophomore guard Jacinda Jones was big for the Lightning with 15 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Junior forward Arielle Alford had a big day offensively and defensively in the paint, contributing seven points, eight rebounds (all defensive), five blocks and four steals. Sophomore Lindsay Duck did a nice job filling in for the injured Janae Weldon (concussion) with seven points, four rebounds and four assists.
The Lightning opened the game on a 7-0 run, highlighted by a conventional three-point play by Jones for the game's first points. GBC kept the Wildcats off the scoreboard until a three-pointer by Ashley Baker a little over five minutes into the game.
After a jumper by Jones put the Lightning up 9-3 at the 14:40 mark, WU went on an 8-1 run, capped by a Kim Parker jumper at 8:23, to take its first lead of the game, 11-10. The Lightning were plagued by a 1-for-6 shooting stretch from the free-throw line during that Wildcat run.
Jones, who led GBC with nine points in the first half, swished a three-point shot to stop the bleeding at 8:04, and put her team back in front, 13-11. Wilmington's Jamie Hensley then knotted the score at 13 with a jumper at 7:31, and freshman Irene Hudson found fellow freshman Akilah Sewell in the paint for an easy layup to put GBC up, 15-13. But the Wildcats would close out the half on a 12-4 run and take a 26-19 lead into the intermission.
The Wildcats would score the first four points of the half to extend their lead to 30-19, before a 9-0 Lightning surge closed the gap to two, 30-28. The Wildcats answered right back with a 9-0 run and matched their largest lead of the game (11) with a 39-28 advantage.
Trailing 41-31, the Lightning went on an 8-0 run capped by a running jumper in the lane by Duck at 7:43 to pull within two, 41-39, but again the Lightning were unable to tie the score or take a lead as Wilmington upped its lead to six (45-39) at the 5:20 mark.
Down 47-41, a 6-0 Lightning run culminating in a three-point shot in the corner by Jones tied the score at 47-apiece with 1:36 left to play in regulation. Jessica Stowes' jumper at 1:06 put the Wildcats back up two, but Richardson responded on the ensuing possession after grabbing her own offensive rebound and converting a lay-up while being fouled. She would convert the free-throw to put her team up 50-49, but Wilmington's Parker was able to get to the line with just 20 seconds left on the clock and convert 1-of-2 to send the game to overtime.
The Lightning, 1-0 in overtime games this season to this point, scored the first five points of the first overtime period. They led by as many as six (59-53) with 2:08 left to play, but six straight unanswered points by Wilmington's Baker sent the game to its sixth tie of the game (59-59) and neither team could score in the final 56 seconds of action as the game would go into double overtime.
Again, GBC got off to a hot start, this time scoring the first eight points of the period and holding the Wildcats scoreless for the first 3:34 of the five-minute session before Amanda Feldman hit a three-pointer at 1:26 to bring her team within five.
GBC's foul-shooting woes again made the game interesting, as three 1-of-2 trips at the line by the Lightning in the final minute of play allowed the Wildcats to stay within three, 70-67. But a desperation three by Simmons fell short, and the Lightning held on for the victory.
