Feb. 28, 2009
Box Score
BALTIMORE, Md. - Ashley Alexander hit a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left in regulation to force overtime but Heather Stec scored eight of her career-high 30 points in the two overtime periods to help defeat Loyola 77-71 in double-overtime at Reitz Arena Sunday afternoon. Sarah Fullmer also set career marks with 19 points and 15 rebounds in a spot-start.
Siena (10-17, 9-9) and Loyola (9-19, 4-14) played a back and forth game that featured 12 lead changes and which no team led by more than eight points. Meredith Tolley led the way for the Greyhounds, scoring 12 points in the first half on 4-of-5 shooting from the field (2-of-3 from 3). She finished with 19 points but fouled out with 19 seconds left in regulation, missing both overtime periods.
Allie Lindemann hit a mid-range jumper to put the Saints on top 56-55 with 1:23 left in regulation. But the Greyhounds wouldn't go quietly. After Heather Stec hit both ends of a one-and-one with 19 seconds left, making it a three point game, Alexander drained a 3 with 12 seconds on the clock to tie it and force overtime.
Stec and Sarah Fullmer were unstoppable, combining for 49 points and 33 rebounds (63% of the team's scoring and 67% of the rebounding). Stec scored all of Siena's six points in the first overtime, including a fade away in the paint that tied the game with 25 seconds left.
Cristina Centeno had a productive 37 minutes off the bench. She scored seven points, had seven assists to one turnover and had three steals.
Loyola shot 6-of-20 from the field in the two overtimes while Siena hit 6-of-9. They also made 7-of-16 free throws, not a comfortable percentage from the line, but enough to pull out the season-finale win.
It was just the fifth double-overtime game in Siena history.
Siena returns to action this Friday in the MAAC Tournament at Times Union Center. The Saints are the #6 seed and will face #3 Fairfield at 11:30 a.m. These two teams have met in the first round of the MAAC Tournament the last three years.
