Bison knocked off by Mount Aloysius in closing seconds, 61-60

Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director

BETHANY, W.Va. (Dec. 14) – A basket in the final 10 seconds pushed Mount Aloysius past the Bison 61-60 in a non-conference game at the Hummel Fieldhouse Wednesday night.

The loss sends the Bethany College women's basketball team to 3-7 overall, while the Mounties improve to 4-5 this season.

Sophomore guard Ashley Duthie (Madison, Ohio/Madison) drained a pair of free throws to put Bethany ahead 60-58 with 44 seconds left in the game. After the Mounties split a pair of tries at the charity stripe to cut the lead to one, a pair of missed tries on the other end by the Bison put the ball in the hands of Mount Aloysius with seven seconds left in regulation.

Mountie guard Briana Kendrick got to the basket with two seconds on the clock and finished to give Mount Aloysius the 61-60 lead. Bethany had one last opportunity when Duthie attempted a half-court shot as time expired, but it came up short.

Senior guard Hayley Holenka (Shadyside, Ohio/Shadyside) led the team with 19 points, including 3-for-6 from long range. Duthie chipped in 11 points and seven boards, while junior forward Kelsi Settle (Sebring, Ohio/Sebring) finished with a game-high 11 rebounds (four offensive) in the loss.

Bethany opened up a 17-11 lead after the first period, aided by a 0-for-9 performance from beyond-the-arc by Mount Aloysius. The Mounties heated up in the second period, knocking down 4-for-8 from downtown, and took the lead at 24-22 with 3:52 left in the first half on a Kendrick three pointer.

The Green & White trailed 29-24 in the final minute of the first half. A three pointer by freshman guard Payge Farmer (Wellsburg, W.Va./Brooke) and a pair of Duthie free throws pushed the Bison to a 30-29 lead in the final 10 seconds, but a Mountie layup at the horn sent the Bison into the locker rooms trailing 31-30 at the break.

Bethany went on to out-score Mount Aloysius 13-6 in the first seven minutes of the second half, capped off by a Holenka three pointer, which pulled the Bison ahead 43-37 and forced a Mountie timeout. Mount Aloysius closed the gap to end the third quarter, pulling within two at 47-45 as the teams entered the final period.

The game saw four tie scores and a pair of lead changes over the first seven minutes of overtime, before a basket by Holenka with 2:40 left in the game gave the Bison a 58-56 lead. Both teams traded missed three-point attempts, before a layup by Mount Aloysius' Katie Bracken tied the game entering the final minute of the game.

Kendrick tallied 18 points off of the bench to lead Mount Aloysius.

The Bison return to Presidents' Athletic Conference play on Monday, December 19 when they host Westminster at 3 p.m.