St. Mary's City, Md. – Junior center Sophie Pruden (Carrboro, N.C./Chapel Hill) poured in a career-high 23 points in leading the St. Mary's College of Maryland women's basketball team to an 87-82 triple overtime non-conference victory over NCAA Division II Washington Adventist University Tuesday night.
Pruden shot 10-of-19 from the floor while grabbing 10 boards and blocking a career-best three shots. The Seahawks outscored the Washington Adventist Shock 10-5 in the third five-minute overtime period to seal the win and snap their three-game skid.
Junior guard Aura Payne (Glen Burnie, Md./Severn School) made the first of two free throws to keep it at a two-possession game with 24 ticks on the clock. Washington Adventist took two shot attempts in the final 15 seconds but both were off the mark and St. Mary's was able to corral the defensive boards to preserve the 87-82 triumph.
Senior Joanna Murray (Reisterstown, Md./Franklin) notched 18 points while dishing a career-high eight assists, pulling down four caroms and getting three steals. Senior guard Pui Sham (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) was the third Seahawk to score in double-digits, posting 15 points and a season-best five boards.
The Shock (1-10) dominated the first 16 minutes of the game as WAU owned a 35-14 advantage at 4:29, thanks to a combined 25 points by senior guard Vanessa Rice (Seat Pleasant, Md.) and Briana McClain (Suffolk, Va.). Rice dropped four three-pointers while McClain collected back-to-back triples to cap the run.
St. Mary's (5-3) closed out the first half on a 16-2 tear to cut the 21-point deficit to a 37-30 setback at halftime. Rice led all scorers with 14 points while McClain was not far behind with 13. Sham and junior forward Jasmine Smith (Millersville, Md./Old Mill) led the Seahawks with six points each at intermission.
The Seahawks used a 19-10 run to claim their first lead of the contest at 8:34 (49-47) of the second half on a Pruden layup. The two squads traded baskets before Sham's triple at 1:20 gave her team a three-point lead (61-58). Neither team scored until Rice knocked down a three-pointer of her own with five seconds left to send the game into overtime.
Five straight Shock points to start the first extra period gave Washington Adventist a three-point lead at 3:37. The teams traded baskets until a Murray jumper put the Seahawks up 70-69 with 23 seconds on the clock. Rice knotted the game for the 11th time as she made one of two free throws. Murray missed a three-point attempt as time expired to force the second OT.
St. Mary's opened up the second overtime stanza with a 5-0 run before first-year Jerria Brown-McDaniel (Largo, Md.) netted five of her team's last seven points, including the game-tying layup with four seconds to go.
Rice finished the night with 33 points as she was 11-of-26 from the field, including 7-of-12 from downtown, while McClain contributed 26 points. Brown-McDaniel registered a double-double on a game-best 17 rebounds and 11 points.
St. Mary's will be back in action on Monday, December 17 when the Seahawks travel to Winchester, Virginia to face Shenandoah University in non-conference action at 7:00 pm.
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