The Saint Louis University women’s basketball team defeated DePaul in overtime Friday night, but lost in another overtime game Sunday afternoon against Marquette. The Billikens were able to inch past DePaul 73-71, with a lay up from Harmonie King with seven seconds remaining in overtime. Marquette was able to defeat the Bills in overtime with a score of 68-65.
Saint Louis played in front of a record-setting crowd of 1,796 against DePaul. At halftime, DePaul was leading Throughout the second half, the Bills slowly cut the Blue Demons’ lead, with the score 60-55 and 3:44 left in regulation time. Angie Lewis sank a lay up to make it 60-57 with 2:51 remaining.
The score remained unchanged until Lakia Jones made a jump shot with 24 seconds left in the game and the score changing to 60-59. With 20 seconds the Bills fouled the Blue Demons’ Laura Sobieszczyk who missed her first free throw, but made her second.
With DePaul up by two, they fouled senior guard Star Jackson with 16 seconds left. Jackson made both of her free throws, sending the game into overtime at 61-61.
In overtime, the Blue Demons won the tip-off, but Lewis stole the ball and scored, giving the Bills a 63-61 lead. The game remained close as neither team was able to establish more than a three point lead.
“We are a really defensive team,” Jana Haywood said. “We put on the pressure and were able to see results.”
DePaul’s Charlene Smith tied the game 69-69 with 1:44 left on the clock. Lewis made another lay up, giving the Bills the 71-69 lead. Smith tied the game with another lay up, but King quickly answered by making a lay up of her own, shifting the score to 73-71. The Blue Demons had one more chance to tie the game, but missed a shot at the buzzer.
“You have to tough it out together for 40 or 45 minutes, whatever it takes to get the win,” Jackson said.
Lewis led the Bills with 23 points and nine rebounds. Jackson had 11 points and King finished with 10. The Bills out rebounded DePaul 43-32 and shot 49 percent to DePaul’s 40 percent.
The Bills lost their second game of the weekend to Marquette in another overtime nail biter. The Bills struggled in the first part of the game by not scoring for the first five minutes.
“Coming off the big win, I don’t think we realized how much energy it took out of us.” Jackson said. “It took us five or six minutes to get it together.”
The Bills slowly came back and were able to tie the game with 5:26 remaining in the half.
“We had a lack of motion in the beginning,” Haywood said.
The Bills took the lead with 1:45 remaining with a jump shot from Haywood, but the Golden Eagles answered with a three pointer and a jump shot to end the half with the lead 32-28.
In the second half, the Bills took the lead and were able to hold on to it through most of the half, at one point leading 43-37. With 2:47 remaining, the Golden Eagles tied the game 51-51 with a three-pointer by Katie Alsdurf. Haywood recovered the lead by banking in a shot from off the glass.
“We needed to get more rebounds,” said Haywood. “We gave them too many second chances.”
The Bills had a chance to build on the lead, but a missed foul shot and rebound by Marquette gave them the ball back. Alsdurf dribbled down the court and made the lay-up, sending the game into overtime.
In overtime Marquette scored first off of two free throws, giving them the two point lead, and the Bills were unable to regain control.
“We were getting stuck on screens and not calling for help or switch,” Jackson said. “We were making assumptions that the person would switch instead of speaking up.”
The Bills pulled within one, 61-62, with 1:46 remaining, but Marquette scored another basket and then went on to make their final free throw shots. The Bills tried to retaliate with two baskets by Jackson, but it wasn’t enough to pull off the win.
