Women’s basketball wins in overtime 84-79

By: Alban Barker

Staff Writer

The University of Mary Washington women’s basketball team defeated the Randolph-Macon College Yellow Jackets with a score of 84-79 in overtime at home on Monday, Nov. 29. This win contributed to the Eagles’ 6-1 winning record so far this season.

The first quarter was very close, but UMW consistently remained a few points ahead despite the Yellow Jackets scoring multiple 3-pointers. The quarter ended with a 3-pointer from the Eagles, putting them in the lead 24-20.

After such a close first quarter, the second one started similarly with a consistent back and forth. Repeatedly, the Eagles would get a few points ahead, then the Yellow Jackets would answer. The second quarter ended close as well at 41-36, with a basket by the Eagles cut off by the buzzer less than a second before the ball went in the hoop. 

Both teams started being more aggressive in the third period–there were more steals, more fouls and more players sprinting across the court to attempt a quick basket. The Eagles were able to end the quarter with a 10-point lead of 61-51 against the Yellow Jackets.

The fourth quarter was filled with energy from the stands. As soon as the period started, the audience began to cheer and stomp loudly against the bleachers. Fans in favor of both the Eagles and the Yellow Jackets roared as the game went on. With 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Eagles were in the lead and called a timeout, leaving the score at 74-71. Within the last 30 seconds of the game, Becca Arrington, a guard for the Yellow Jackets, scored a 3-pointer and tied the game up.

In overtime, the fans roared excitedly each time their team got the ball. Tory Martin, a senior history major and forward, scored two points, bringing the score to 80-79. Finally, the game ended 84-79 with the Eagles on top.

The Eagles’ endurance and their ability to keep their aggressive strategy going into overtime ended up giving them the upper hand. There were lots of fouls and obvious emotion on the court in overtime, as the last points scored in the game were two free throws by Martin.

“When going into overtime, there were probably some people nervous, but I knew we’d pull it out,” said Bri Harper, a junior biology major and guard. “Once you go into overtime, the game is all about who wants it more. It showed that we wanted it more, and that’s why we pulled it out.”

Freshman guard Elizabeth Dufrane took this game as a lesson. 

“Overall, we are a young team,” she said. “Every game is a learning lesson for us, and last night was not any different. As a team, we lacked offense in the fourth quarter and they ended up cutting the lead we had built up from the previous three quarters.”

The team was proud of this win after coming back from their one and only loss against Washington and Lee University on Nov. 23, in which the Eagles lost with a final score of 73-68.

“After the last game we were all disappointed with the outcome,” said Dufrane. “However, we knew that we needed to attack the upcoming practices head-on for us to move forward properly with all the lessons and things we took away from the game.”

The team was excited to see how this game would go after the long Thanksgiving break away from campus. 

“It felt good to get back on the court after being able to go home and be with our families,” said Jordan Carpenter, a freshman guard and forward. said, “For me, it was definitely a nice reset and refresher before we had to come back and get back after it.”

The next women’s basketball game at home will be against Marymount University on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 1 p.m.