Women’s Basketball Loses OT Nail-Biter

Christian Arnold

The C.W. Post women’s basketball team’s five-game winning streak came to an end on Wednesday, November 30th, when it lost 70-69 in overtime to the undefeated Dowling Golden Lions.

Senior guard Felicia Joyner led the Pioneers with 17 points while adding three assists. Junior guard Ashley Caggiano contributed 13 points of her own and had four assists in the loss.

The Pioneers opened up the game, going on a 7-0 run through the first five minutes. The Golden Lions responded by going on a 10-3 run to tie the game at 10.

The Pioneers regained and maintained the lead until there was 5:34 left in the first half. Golden Lions senior guard Kelly Puwalski hit a three-point shot to tie the game at 25. The Golden Lions took the lead and ended the first half ahead 36-32.

The Golden Lions maintained the lead for the first 10 minutes of the second half, but the Pioneers slowly inched closer to tying the game. With just under ten minutes in the game, Joyner nailed a three-pointer to tie the game at 46. The Pioneers and Golden Lions traded the lead for the final eight minutes of the game, with neither team having the ability to pull ahead of the other. The largest lead during the eight-minute span was a 55-50 lead held by the Pioneers, but the Golden Lions found a way to force overtime with the score tied at 62 at the end of the second half.

The two teams continued their neck-and-neck battle in overtime, trading baskets during the five-minute frame. With 3:08 left, Golden Lions freshman guard Christine Varrelle hit a three-point shot to give Dowling a 67-64 lead. However, Caggiano answered right back for the Pioneers, sinking a three-pointer of her own.

With 1:38 left in the game, the Pioneers were able to take the lead once more after a pair of free throws made by freshman guard Chelsea Williams. The completed shots gave the Pioneers a 69-67 lead.

The ensuing Golden Lions’ possession proved to be the game winner. With only 1:22 left in overtime, sophomore forward Julia Koppl hit what turned out to be the game-winning three-point shot to make it 70-69 game in favor of the Golden Lions.

The Pioneers could not answer back in the final minute, although junior forward Nicolette Marciniak nearly gave the Pioneers the lead with 12 seconds left in the game. Her attempted jump shot bounced in and out of the basket.

The Pioneers shot 36% (22-60) from the floor, 41% (10-24) from three-point range, and made 15-18 attempts from the foul line. The loss moves the Pioneers’ record to 5-2 for the season and 0-1 in East Coast Conference play.