CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College women's basketball team overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to notch a 57-53 victory in overtime over Mitchell College on Thursday evening in New England Collegiate Conference action at Picknelly Arena.
Gianna Youngblood tied a career high with 25 points to lead Elms, which improved to 3-2 on the season (2-0 NECC). Mitchell moved to 1-5 overall (1-1 NECC).
With the score deadlocked at 49-49 after regulation, Mitchell freshman Caycee Williams gave the Mariners a two-point lead with 4:17 to play in extra time. A jumper by JC Pickett leveled the game once more at 51-51 at the 3:55 mark, and 52 seconds later, Youngblood lifted the Blazers in front with a pair of free throws.
Sophomore Amanda Garcia answered for Mitchell with a jumper with 1:38 remaining in the frame to set the score at 53-53, but it would be the last basket the Mariners would get. Ellen Donohue cashed in on a mid-range jumper at the 1:16 mark to give the Blazers a 55-53 edge, and Emily Burr then came away with a clutch steal with 47 seconds on the clock. Denisha Parks followed with a pair of free throws with 22 ticks remaining to set the final score at 57-53 and seal a thrilling comeback win for Elms.
Youngblood scored her game-high 25 points on 6-of-19 shooting from the field and 3-of-9 from beyond the arc. She was also a stellar 10-of-13 from the free throw line and added 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals in the winning effort.
Parks added 13 points and a team-best 14 rebounds to go along with four assists. Pickett added six points and 11 rebounds, Donohue passed out four helpers and Amanda Wall notched five points off the bench.
The Mariners received a team-best 18 points from Garcia on 7-of-17 shooting from the field. She also hauled in a game-high 16 boards off the bench. Senior Kate Mulloy added 11 points and freshman Jessica Shepherd contributed 10. Sophomores Dazjavia Williams and Savannah Boyle pulled down 14 and 10 rebounds, respectively, while freshman Samantha Ryan dished out a game-high seven assists.
In the opening frame, Mitchell led by as many as 12 when Garcia converted a lay-up at the 8:40 mark to set the score at 19-7.
Late in the stanza, Elms pulled to within five when Youngblood powered in a bucket underneath and made the ensuing free throw after being fouled on the play. Garcia then hit a jumper at the 43 second mark, Boyle drained a pair of free throws with six ticks left and Caycee Williams made a lay-up as time expired after a steal by Ryan to extend Mitchell's cushion to 11 at intermission, 33-22.
In the second half, Elms slowly chipped away at the Mariners' lead as Parks canned a trey and Youngblood struck twice from long distance to set the score at 38-36 in favor of Mitchell with 11:57 to play. Wall then drilled a three-pointer at the 9:55 mark to give the Blazers their first lead of the contest a 39-38.
The sides played to four more ties and neither team held more than a two-point lead throughout the rest of regulation. Parks swished a pair of foul shots with 2:28 remaining and Garcia answered with a lay-up at the 1:41 mark to send the game into overtime tied at 49-49.
Mitchell held a commanding 72-51 edge on the boards but gave away 27 turnovers and shot just 1-of-23 from beyond the arc. The Mariners shot 26 percent in the contest while Elms checked in at 23 percent.
Mitchell returns home to face Lesley University on Saturday, December 7 at 1 p.m.