Coast Guard Outlasts Women's Basketball in 2OT Thriller

The Clark University women’s basketball team played a hard-fought battle against the United States Coast Guard Academy at the Kneller Athletic Center on Alumni Day Saturday afternoon. Clark has now dropped three straight to sink to 6-10 overall (2-3 NEWMAC). The Bears extended their NEWMAC unbeaten streak to 6-0 (13-2 overall) with an 86-76 double-overtime victory.

Sarah Roderigue put up a season-high 28 points with five rebounds in the loss. Sara Hagstrom contributed 11 points and 6 assists, and Nicole LeVecque and Katie McCloskey each scored nine to pace the Cougar offense. Melissa Martinelli achieved a career-high 32 points with 15 rebounds and Natalie Moyer notched a season-high 30 points with 8 rebounds to secure the victory.

The Cougars found themselves down 6-1 early following a lay-up from Natalie Moyer, owner of 10 first-half points, but a jumper from Roderigue and consecutive threes from Sara Hagstrom and Roderigue gave Clark the three-point edge, their only lead in the half.

DeCarol Davis answered the call with a three of her own to knot the game at 9-all, and Coast Guard used the momentum shift to slowly build a lead. Back-to-back shots from deep by Jennifer Tamminen and Moyer put the Bears up by nine (22-13), but the Cougars took advantage of turnovers to fight back within three (24-21) following a pair of free throws by Roderigue.

An unusual play occurred with 3:45 to go in the first half when the referees called a double foul. Coast Guard’s Melissa Martinelli was called for an offensive foul at the same time Clark’s Blaize Denfield was stamped with a foul. The double foul resulted in a point of interruption, leaving the ball in Coast Guard’s possession without resetting the shot clock.

Following the stop the Bears pulled away again with eight unanswered points to go up 32-21 with 3:00 left in the half. After trading baskets for the next few minutes, a jumper from Roderigue with 0:12 left to play moved Clark within single digits (36-27) heading into the break.

Clark came roaring out of the gate at the start of the second half, using a 13-2 run to take a 40-38 lead, their first since 5:48 into the game. Nicole LeVecque drained a pair of threes, including the go-ahead score, during the run. Clark pulled to a seven point advantage (51-44) with a three from Sara Hagstrom, but Melissa Martinelli teamed up with Moyer to bring the Bears back within one (56-55).

Kristin Healy and Katie McCloskey each knocked down a three to regain the seven-point spread (62-55), but Moyer sank a clutch three within one minute remaining to bring the score within one possession. A lay-up from Corienne McCormack with six seconds to play in regulation sent this one to overtime.

In the first overtime Martinelli came on strong in the paint, scoring eight of Coast Guard’s ten points in the extra period. After the Bears took a quick four-point lead to start the extended time, Healy hit another clutch three to move within one (66-65). With under a minute to play Martinelli put Coast Guard up 72-70 with a drive to the basket, but Roderigue was fouled with 0:20 to go and stayed calm at the line, knocking down both attempts to tie the score at 72-all and push the game into the second overtime.

In the second overtime Moyer dropped a three pointer for a five-point Coast Guard lead and followed it up just over a minute later with a hard-fought lay-up to go up seven (79-72) with just 2:37 remaining. Clark tried to come back with a three from Hagstrom to pull within five (81-76), but they could not make up the difference. Free throws ended the game for Coast Guard 86-76.

The Clark squad shot well from three-point range in the loss, going 13-35 from deep, including 9-16 in the second half. Playing without star forward Jillian Camilleri, the Cougars were vulnerable in the paint, where Coast Guard scored 34 points to Clark’s six.