CHANDLER, Ariz. – The No. 18 ranked Montana Western women's basketball team overcame a season high of 21 turnovers this afternoon in their defeat of Rust College (Miss.).
Brynley Fitzgerald hit a game-winning three-point buzzer beater to seal the victory.
"It was a wild ride today. I thought Rust made some great adjustments late and our kids were able to overcome my bad coaching to make enough plays down the stretch. Unbelievably proud of our ability to hang around and stay together versus a good team." Head Coach
Lindsay Woolley said after the win.
How it Happened
A big first quarter from
Jordan Sweeney boosted the Bulldogs at the start of the matchup as UMW took a three-point lead at the end of the quarter. Sweeney was a perfect 4-4 from the field across the first 10 minutes of the game. With 5:19 remaining in the half,
Emily Cooley's layup stretched the Bulldog lead to seven at 21-14. Despite the lead, the Bearcats paced the Bulldogs in the final minutes in the half and the Bulldogs struggled to overcome a quarter-high of seven turnovers. UMW went into the half holding a slim 28-23 lead over Rust.
The Bulldogs started out hot from the half as they went on a 10-2 scoring run, helping to stretch their lead over the Bearcats to 12. Holding onto a nine-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs were up 44-35. Despite trailing for much of the game, the Bearcats clawed their way back into the game and took their first lead behind a fast break layup, drawing a foul from the Bulldogs for the and one. Sweeney drained a three-pointer to flip the score back in favor of UMW with 3:14 remaining in the game. After another Rust field goal, Cooley overcame her 0-3 start at the line and made a pair of free throws count and helping to reverse the score back in favor of the Bulldogs. With 58 seconds remaining, the Bearcats drained another jumper to take a 54-53 lead. The Bulldog defense got a big stop and Fitzgerald snagged a defensive rebound. After getting the ball across half court, the Bulldogs called a perfectly timed timeout with seven second remaining in the game. The Bulldogs inbounded the ball and Fitzgerald drained a deep three-pointer at the buzzer to win the game for Montana Western.
"They were a high-pressure team and forced a lot of turnovers on us today. We were lucky to get the ball in bounds and once we got it in, basketball just started to happen. It was a great win against a great team and I am really proud of our effort today." Senior
Brynley Fitzgerald said after the win.
Notables
- The Bulldogs are now 3-1 against ranked or receiving votes teams this season following yesterday's win over Vanguard University and today's win over Rust College.
- The Bulldogs shot 42.3 percent in comparison to the Bearcat's 34.4 percent from the field in tonight's matchup.
- Montana Western racked up a whopping 21 turnovers in the game, allowing the Bearcats the opportunity to score 19 points off of turnovers.
- Brynley Fitzgerald nailed the game-winning three-point shot at the buzzer. She had her third double-double of the season with 14 points and ten rebounds. She also added three steals.
- Jordan Sweeney led the Bulldogs in scoring with 22 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
Up Next
The Bulldogs move to 9-2 on the season and will finish out a long road-trip with their fourth game in six days against the Benedictine-Mesa Redhawks. The Redhawks enter the matchup with an overall 2-8 record. They are 0-1 in the Cactus Classic after they lost to Rocky Mountain by 42 points. Game time is at 12pm MST at Chandler-Gilbert Community College.
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