Pioneers drop heartbreaker in OT to Roane State
This one was tough to take! A strong crowd cheered on the Lady Pioneers on Saturday evening in Bridges Arena as the Lady Raiders from Roane State took a fast-paced overtime victory from SMC.
The first half was a game of runs, Roane State started out hot behind the arc and putting a lot of pressure on the Pioneer ball handlers with a trapping full court press. The press caused some problems early on for the Pioneers and eventually proved to be the deciding factor in overtime.
SMC cut the Raider lead to two points with a minute left to play in the first half, but two missed shots and three Pioneer turnovers led to a 8-0 Lady Raider run and a ten point half time lead.
A physical second half ensued as both teams were very aggressive on the offensive and defensive end. Rebounding was a huge key for the Pioneers in staying close. SMC out-rebounded the Raiders 50-26 on the night. Ashia Mitchell (nine points) led the Lady Pioneers with 18 boards with 11 of them being on the offensive end. Kim Henderson dropped 19 points trying to keep the Pioneers in the game while Deandra Wright- 17 points, 2 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and Shanolla Council added 14 points and five boards.
With SMC trailing by two with 14 seconds left Gina Pattonstole the Lady Raider inbound lob pass and sprinted up the floor. A nice bounce pass to Shanolla Council for a lay-up tied the game and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Roane State quickly dispatched of a tired SMC squad playing their second game in as many days and took home a hard fought 84-76 win.
Coach Briana Clark stated after the game that "this s one of the best games we have played all season. We finally were able to put 2 full halves together of fundamental basketball. We shot the ball a lot better than we have been, Sophomores stepped up and were big for us, after losing to Louisburg college by 25 the night before. Our defense is what kept us in the game despite 3three Roane State players scoring double figures. We out rebounded them 50-36, The ady aiders however capitalized on a few of our mistakes and were very successful from behind the arc scoring 6-13.. Definitley a game we can build from and am excited about starting back with conference play on Tuesday at Clinton"
