Phoenixville, Pa.—The Keystone College women's basketball team erased a six-point deficit with 1:24 remaining before Valley Forge's senior guard Bailey Mayforth drained a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left and added a free throw moments later to seal the Patriots' 79-75 victory.
Mayforth finished with 24 points and junior forward Jhanel Brown added 20 points and 10 rebounds as Valley Forge evened its record at 7-7. The Patriots, who opened up a 38-29 halftime lead, also received 12 points and six rebounds from sophomore guard Natalie Cortes.
Keystone, which fell to 3-15, was led by sophomore center Maddy Moro with a season-high 25 points and 16 rebounds in 27 minutes of action and senior guard Nina Hodanich contributed 15 points. The Giants also received 11 points apiece from freshman forward Samy Farah and freshman guard Bre Moore.
The Giants trailed throughout much of the fourth period before taking a 65-64 lead on a 3-pointer by junior guard Sydney Craig with 3:55 remaining. Mayforth regained the lead for the Patriots with a 3-pointer on Valley Forge's next possession and Brown followed with a lay-up to make it a four-point lead with 3:19 left.
Keystone cut it to one on a 3-pointer by freshman guard Autum Kitajima before a Cortes lay-up, a tip-in by Brown and another lay-up by Cortes during a 6-1 run put the Patriots ahead 75-69 with 1:24 remaining.
The Giants then answered with six straight points—two free throws by Moore and a jump shot followed by two free throws by Moro—to tied it for the 11th time, 75-75, with 20 seconds left.
That's when Mayforth took over, burying the game-winning 3-pointer and following it up one of two free throws after Moore missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with six seconds left.
Moro's double-double in points and rebounds was her fourth of the season.
Keystone will close out a two-game non-conference road trip this Monday, January 29, against Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York, beginning at 6:00 p.m.