Box Score

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University women's basketball team picked up big defensive stops in the final two minutes against Cheyney on Saturday afternoon from Heiges Field House and converted 5-of-7 free throws in the final 65 seconds to secure a vital 69-66 double overtime victory over the Wolves.

Shippensburg (10-12, 3-3 PSAC East) had a wealth of tremendous performances on Saturday but was paced offensively by junior forward Kasey Gardner, who led all scorers with 24 points. Gardner added eight rebounds and three assists while committing just one turnover but was on the bench for the final two minutes of overtime due to her fifth foul.

Cheyney (6-11, 3-3 PSAC East) trailed by five points with 3:19 to go in the second overtime after a clutch three-pointer from senior guard Sheila Wasser but clawed back to tie the score at 64-64 with 2:26 remaining. The score remained tied until the 1:05 mark, when freshman guard Kerry Conroy was sent to the line and converted 1-of-2 free throws to give Shippensburg a one-point lead.

The Lady Raider defense was strong all game but especially shined down the stretch, forcing a tough jumper by Lutfiyya Muhammad on the ensuing possession that was rebounded by sophomore guard Erin Varley. At the other end of the court, senior forward Lauren Beckley was fouled during a three-point attempt and hit two of three free throws to extend SU's lead to three points with 32 seconds remaining.

Shippensburg got another stop on the ensuing possession with an errant layup from Angel Henderson, and the smallest player on the floor boxed out and grabbed another rebound. Varley was subsequently fouled and drained both free throws at the 00:21 mark. The Lady Raiders ran out the clock in the final 10 seconds after a layup from Muhammad produced the final points of the game.

The march to overtime was full of excitement and both teams battled down the stretch. Shippensburg led for a majority of the second half but never held an advantage greater than four points over the final 14 minutes of play. A pair of free throws with 41 seconds in regulation by Cheyney's Georgia Anderson tied the score at 51-51 and set the stage for a tense final minute of the second half.

The Wolves stole the ball with 36 seconds left and called a timeout to set up its potential game-winning shot. Muhammad bided her time for 20 seconds before dishing off to Henderson, but she forced a running layup due to the crowd in the paint and SU grabbed the rebound to force overtime.

Cheyney also had a chance for the win at the end of the first overtime following a steal by Stephanie Orji, but Wasser played strong defense against Muhammad's drive toward the hoop and prevented the Wolves from even attempting a shot before the horn sounded.

With the potential for any play being whistled for a foul, especially as the game grew on, both teams came up with solid production from the free-throw line. Cheyney was 12-of-19 in the second half from the charity stripe and 22-of-31 for the game, while Shippensburg was 11-of-13 in the first half and 7-of-9 in the overtime period.

Beckley was held scoreless in the first half but came through when the team needed her most, contributing seven points in the second half and 10 points in the overtime sessions to complement 15 rebounds and four assists. It was Beckley's eighth double-double of the season and the 54th of her career. She is now in sole possession of second place on the PSAC's all-time scoring list with 2,188 points and sits 101 points short of Valerie's Walker's record.

Bamberger was great in the post once again, finishing with 10 points in 29 minutes before fouling out. Conroy had seven points and six rebounds while Wasser had six points and five rebounds.

The Wolves controlled the offensive boards, totaling 26 in the game and 59 rebounds overall in the contest. Despite the effort, Cheyney had just 13 second-chance points and shot just 22-of-86 from the field and 25.6 percent over the course of 50 minutes. The Lady Raider defense held both of its opponents this week to just 25 percent shooting from the field.

Shippensburg begins a three-game road trip on Wednesday from Hollinger Fieldhouse with a 6 p.m. tipoff against West Chester.

Notes: Shippensburg is now 2-0 in overtime this season...SU defeated Philadelphia 76-70 in overtime on Nov. 24...Beckley passed Bloomsburg's Theresa Lorenzi and Cheyney's Yolanda Laney on the all-time scoring list...Cheyney went without a foul call against them for a 12:10 stretch of play that spanned from the second half to the second overtime...the Wolves were 0-of-14 from the 3-point line...SU's opponents (Bloomsburg and Cheyney) were 5-of-45 (11.1 percent) from three-point range this week.