Richmond, IN – Sophomore forward Rachel Cox knocked in a pull-up jumper with no time left to give the Transylvania women's basketball team a rousing 75-73 buzzer-beating victory.
The win was the second game-winning shot of the season with zeroes on the clock for Transylvania as well as the fourth game this year the Pioneers have been involved in that a buzzer-beater occurred.
"I love the heart and willpower of this team," said Head Coach Juli Fulks after the emotional victory. "We faced a lot of adversity in the first half and just kept pushing through."
Senior guard Katelyn Smith poured in a game-high 28 points, 25 of which came in the second half. Senior point guard Shawn Kolani enjoyed another all-around night with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
It was Kolani's composure under pressure that predicated the climactic play for Cox's game-winner.
Leading 73-70 with 19 seconds left, the Pioneers had the ball after the host Quakers had knocked down a 3-pointer moments before. Transylvania could not inbound the ball before the five-second call reigned and Earlham marched down for a game-tying 3-ball.
With 7.7 seconds remaining in regulation, the Pios' inbound pass sailed wide of Kolani into their backcourt, but amidst heavy pressure, the point guard chased down the ball and dribbled out of trouble 70 feet away from her team's basket. Kolani hoisted a two-handed lob to the right wing for Cox, who took one dribble and fired away a long two-point jumper from the right wing that went clean through the net.
Celebration ensued for the Pioneers who battled through an up-and-down first half which found them trailing 35-32 at the halftime break. Kolani's steady hand guided the Pioneers through the first 20 minutes of the ballgame with 13 of her 15 points, the most picturesque of her buckets coming on a halfcourt shot as time expired at the end of the first quarter.
Smith took the baton from Kolani, and took over in the second half.
Smith came out of the locker room with fire in her eyes, scoring on a jumper to open the second half action before assisting sophomore wing Sarah Ashley on a layup to hand the Pioneers their first lead of the half at 36-35. After the Quakers answered with back-to-back scores, Smith threw in a triple to tie the game at 39, then scored on a pair of free throws to tie the game again at 41.
While Earlham continued to score, Smith matched the Quakers punch-for-punch as she splashed another long jumper. All-in-all, Smith was directly responsible for the first 11 points of the third quarter through scores or assists.
Smith saved her biggest scoring barrage for the final quarter, scoring 14 points as she carried the Pioneers to the finish line. Her final score of the game, a jump shot with 33 seconds remaining gave her team the necessary breathing room with a 71-67 lead.
Smith finished the night 11-for-23 from the field, including 2-for-5 from three-point range, and a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line.
Cox's indelible bucket capped off a seven point, five rebound night. Her fellow starter Ashley gobbled up a crucial 11 rebounds as the Pioneers outrebounded Earlham 39-29. Freshman guard Celia Kline added 12 points off the bench for her second double-digit scoring game in her last three contests.
The Pioneers shot 43.5 percent from the field while host Earlham went 46 percent from the field. Transylvania overcame 17 turnovers to fend off the hungry Quakers.
Transylvania improves to 8-3 (12-6 overall) in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, good for a third-place tie with Franklin. The win continues a simmering January for the Pioneers, who have now won six of their last seven games. Reflecting on her team's persistent performance, Fulks said, "They were true competitors and fought for four quarters to make enough plays to get the win."
The Pioneers also won on a buzzer-beating shot on December 12, 2015 at home against Hanover.
The Transylvania women will join the men's team as they journey to Anderson, Indiana on Saturday for a road doubleheader against Anderson University. The women's game commences at 2 p.m.
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