The Carthage women's basketball team (11-4, 4-0 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) moved into sole possession of first place in the CCIW on Wednesday, Jan. 14 with a come-from-behind, 68-63, win in overtime over conference-opponent Elmhurst College (9-6, 2-2 CCIW) at Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wis.
Wheaton College (Ill.) entered Wednesday night tied with Carthage for first place in the league, but the Thunder lost at North Park University, 62-48. Carthage head coach Tim Bernero missed the Elmhurst game with a family medical emergency, with assistant coach Maggie McCloskey in charge.
Elmhurst took a six-point lead, 11-5, at 10:49 first period, a lead the Bluejays did not relinquish until the final minute of regulation, although the game was tied 22-22 at 18:45 second period. Elmhurst led by five points at halftime, 22-17. The Bluejays led by as much as seven points in the second half, 42-35, at 6:51 The Lady Reds took a 45-44 lead with 58 second left in regulation a layup by Alexis Hahn. A layup by Fiona McMahon tied the game, 46-46, with 36 seconds left. Another layup by Hahn with 21 seconds to go gave Carthage a 48-46 lead, but Mikaela Eppard's layup with two second on the clock sent the game into overtime tied at 48 each.
In overtime, the Lady Reds took a five-point lead, 59-54, at 1:50 on a three-pointer by Kasey Kleiner. The Bluejays cut the lead to two, 65-63, with 12 seconds on the clock on a pair of free throws by Hannah Lipman, but two free throws by Kleiner and one by Erin Quinn provided Carthage with its final, five-point margin, 68-63.
Carthage shot 45 percent (24-53), including seven-of-16 from three-point range, while Elmhurst shot 44 percent (23-52), including five-of-17 three-pointers. The Lady Reds got to the free-throw line 19 times and made 13, while the Bluejays connected on 12-of-15. Elmhurst out-rebounded Carthage by a 40-22.
Alexis Hahn (Jr., Itasca, Ill./Roselle-Lake Park) led Carthage with 18 points on seven-of-14 field goals, along with four-of-seven free throws and six assists, while Kasey Kleiner (Sr., South Milwaukee, Wis./Somers-Shoreland Lutheran) had 16 points on five-of-nine shooting, including three-of-six from three-point range, along with three-of-four free throws. Fiona McMahon led Elmhurst with a game-high 27 points on 10-of-13 field goals, including two-of-three three-pointers, along with a perfect five-of-five from the free-throw line and a game-high 11 rebounds.
"I guess we're a second-half team," said Carthage assistant coach Maggie McCloskey. "We had some good looks in the first half, but they just weren't falling. Our defense was really great, particularly in the second half and in the overtime. Elmhurst did a good job in the first half of denying us anything, but we got things rolling in the second half. We were just a more confident team in the second half."
Carthage plays host to conference-opponent Millikin University (11-4, 2-2 CCIW) on Saturday, Jan. 17 in a 5 p.m. game, also at Tarble Arena.