By Rob Knox
D3sports.com
OWINGS MLLS, Md. -- The bank was open for sophomore Stephanie Martinez, who provided some March-like madness with the biggest basket of her life to help the Stevenson University women's basketball cash in its most exciting victory of the season.
With time winding down, Martinez took a pass from Ty Bender, who started in the backcourt, and let fly a heave from about 40-feet that banked off the glass with a thud and dropped into the basket with .3 seconds remaining that gave Stevenson a 72-70 win to remember Wednesday night in a Commonwealth Conference thriller.
Following the shot, Martinez was swallowed up underneath of a mass of sweaty, exhausted and jubilant white-shirted teammates near mid-court while the entire gym erupted in shock and happiness. The celebration was slightly short-lived as the referees reviewed the basket and Messiah had one final chance to change the ending. Once the pass went off of a Falcon player, the celebration continued for Stevenson (8-6 overall, 6-1 MAC)
As a shooting specialist who never met a shot she didn't like, Martinez never had a doubt when the ball left her hands that it would find the bottom of the net. Nobody would ever know Martinez had been in a shooting slump watching her make her final three 3-point shot attempts. She scored all 10 of her points in the final 10 minutes, 46 seconds.
"We drew the shot up exactly as it was executed," Martinez said. "We wanted Tye to have the ball in the middle of the court and we had two players coming down the wings. I happened to get the ball and get a shot up. I had a lot of confidence in my shot and when I let it go, I knew it was going in. I don't mind that the bank was open that late. I have been struggling with my shot, but my teammates give me a lot of confidence so that helps me a lot."
Here's what set the stage for wild ending.
With the score tied at 69, Stevenson's leading scorer Kayla Kelly was whistled for a blocking foul underneath the basket with five seconds remaining. Messiah's Taylor Miller made the second of two foul shots to give the Falcons a 70-69 lead. After a Messiah timeout, the Mustangs went to work executing the called play to perfection.
"We were hoping to get a layup out of that or Steph a shot," Stevenson coach Jackie Boswell sad. "We actually practice that play and it's good to know that it came true. Steph is a good shooter and you have to have enough confidence in your shooter in that situation when you need that big one. I am proud of her for being a sophomore, stepping up and putting the team on her shoulders."
With its third straight win, Stevenson has established itself as a serious title contender for the conference crown. The Mustangs, who began the season with three straight losses, have won eight of their last 11 games. Stevenson has knocked off Commonwealth royalty in its last two games with its 55-52 win over Lebanon Valley last Saturday.
The wonderfully played game featured 18 lead changes and seven ties. Both teams traded big baskets and overcame second-half deficits. Messiah trailed, 69-64, after Martinez made a 3-pointer with 2:52 remaining. The Falcons scored six straight points and were a few seconds from winning.
In addition to Martinez, Stevenson had three other players reach double digits in scoring led by Kelly, who had a game-high 17 points. Bender finished with 16 points while Caitlin Roy added 15 points.
Messiah also had four players score in double figures highlighted by Chelsea Danel's 14 points. Miller had 13 points. Sienna Wise made all four of her field goals and finished with 12 points while Hannah Nichols contributed 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Five of Messiah's six losses have come in the final seconds this season.
"It seems like our season has been full of ups and downs," Danel said. "Every team in our conference is tough. It was an exciting game and really back and forth. I thought we did a good job of coming on strong at the end of the game after we fell behind by five points. They were able to get a shot at the end of the game to win it."