Bills Win on Lisch's Last-Second Trey
Nov. 16, 2008
ST. LOUIS - Junior guard Theresa Lisch swished a 3-pointer with :00.7 remaining to give Saint Louis a 68-67 victory over Western Michigan Sunday afternoon in the first women's basketball game at SLU's Chaifetz Arena. The game-winning shot happened just seconds after Western Michigan appeared to be headed toward a win in its season opener. Tiera DeLaHoussaye made the first of two free throws to give the Broncos a 67-65 lead and missed the second. Ebony Cleary collected the offensive rebound, but freshman guard Alisha Goodwin intercepted Cleary's pass and the Bills rushed the ball into the frontcourt and called a timeout. Goodwin also figured into the final bucket. After the Bills moved the ball around, she found Lisch open at the top of the key. Lisch's fourth trey of the afternoon (4-of-7) was picture perfect, giving her a team-high 20 points. Western Michigan's Miame Giden came dangerously close to making a 45-foot desperation shot, but the attempt fell just short and the Billikens evened their record at 1-1. Saint Louis led 34-27 at halftime and stretched the margin to nine points twice early in the second half. Western's Brenna Banktson tallied six of her game-high 22 points in an 8-0 Bronco run that narrowed the SLU advantage to 38-37 at the 14:55 mark. The Bills maintained a one- to three-point margin until Banktson scored in the paint to put the Broncos on top 43-42 with 10:36 left. After Lisch and Giden traded baskets, SLU took a 47-45 lead on a 3-pointer by junior guard Katie Paganelli, only to see Giden score two consecutive field goals to give WMU a 49-47 edge. Sophomore forward Lauren Woods grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to forge a 49-all deadlock. Lisch, moments after collecting one of her game-high 11 rebounds, hit a jumper for a 51-49 SLU advantage with 7:28 remaining.
Western Michigan countered with a 9-1 run and seemed to have command with a 58-52 lead at the 4:26 mark. But Goodwin made a free throw and Paganelli followed with a driving layup and two free throws to pull the Billikens to within a point, 58-57, with 3:30 to play. Treys by DeLaHoussaye and Banktson sandwiched a Paganelli triple, and WMU led 64-60 with 2:31 left. Woods and Banktson traded baskets, and Paganelli made one of two free throws to narrow the Bronco lead to 66-63. Paganelli's steal on Western's next possession led to a pair of Goodwin free throws that made it a one-point game. The teams traded misses on their next possessions, setting the stage for the final dramatic moments. After Western Michigan scored the first five points of the game, a Lisch 3-pointer triggered a 17-4 spurt that gave Saint Louis a 17-9 cushion with 9:13 remaining. WMU charged back and tied the game at 20 and then 22, but Lisch netted seven points in a 12-5 run over the last 3:32 of the half that gave the Billikens their 34-27 edge at the break. The 20-point, 11-rebound effort by Lisch was her fourth career double-double. Paganelli was 3-of-6 from beyond the arc and finished with 18 points while adding eight rebounds and a game-high four assists. Goodwin finished with 12 points, Woods gathered a career-high eight rebounds and senior forward Heather King had six rebounds. Banktson added six rebounds to her 22-point performance. Giden registered 19 points and eight rebounds, DeLaHoussaye scored 11 points and Cleary had 10 points and 10 rebounds, including six offensive boards. The Billikens earned a 48-35 rebounding advantage, and each team grabbed 14 offensive rebounds. The Bills shot 50 percent from the floor in the second half to finish at 44 percent, while Western Michigan shot 38 percent for the game. Saint Louis travels to Morehead, Ky., on Wednesday to face Morehead State. Game time is 6 p.m. (CT). |
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