Sam Hourihan is the center of attention after hitting the game-winning shot at the buzzer in overtime against Ithaca on Saturday night. Photo by Springfield College athletics

Ithaca, N.Y. - March 5, 2022 - Sam Hourihan (Bridgewater, Mass.) hit a midrange jumper as time expired in overtime to lift the Springfield College women's basketball program over No. 17/22 Ithaca College in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship Tournament on Saturday evening. 

• 2022 Division III NCAA Tournament bracket
• Second round wrap: Familiar faces head to Sweet 16
• Second-round scoreboard: Women | Men
• First round wrap: Power conferences push through 

Springfield advances to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2005. The Bombers, winners of a 20-straight games, close out its season with 25-3 record. The second round matchup between the Pride and the Bombers featured 12 lead changes and nine ties. 

Hourihan poured in a career-high 28 points and 14 rebounds while shooting 11-of-26 from the floor.  Rachel Vinton (Rutland, Mass.) added 12 points, five rebounds, and four steals. Sidney Wentland (Elk River, Minn.) pitched in 10 points, six assists, four rebounds, and three steals. As a team, the Pride outrebounded the Bombers, 44-39, and scored 20 points off turnovers. 

Megan Yawman was the Bombers' leading scorer with 16 points. Cara Volpe pumped into 12 points and nine rebounds. 

Springfield raced out to a 10-2 lead as the Pride forced three turnovers and got out in transition early. Dzindolet capped off the burst with a jumper at the 6:33 mark to give Springfield the 10-2 cushion. The Bombers stormed back to tie the game with 1:34 remaining in the quarter with a 12-4 run finished off by a Natalie Smith three pointer to make the score 14-14. Springfield scored twice in the paint to go back up 18-14, before a last second bucket from Emily Dorn made the first quarter score 18-16.

Ithaca and Springfield traded buckets for most of the second quarter as Ithaca battled to a 31-28 lead with 4:08 to play courtesy of a baseline jumper from Megan Yawman, hwoever, Springfield responded with a stepthrough jumper from Hourihan at 3:45 and a beautiful sequence of ball movement that led to a mid range jumper from Czeremcha at 2:55 to regain the 32-31 lead. At 2:13, Smith canned another three to tie it up at 34 a piece, before Springfield earned a 38-36 lead heading into the break. 

At 6:48, the Bombers earned a slight edge after a jumper from Grace Cannon pushed the Ithaca lead to 41-38, however, the Pride ripped off a 11-1 run to regain the lead and take a 49-42 lead with 2:21 to go as Hourihan cashed in a three off the drive and kick from Stephanie Lyons (Boston, Mass.). Both Springfield and Ithaca would hit from beyond the arc before the end of the quarter to push the game to a 52-46 score in favor of Springfield entering the fourth. 

The Pride would take its largest lead of the contest up at 5:35 as Czeremcha would hustle for an offensive rebound and put it right back up for the score to make the score 61-48 for the visitors. The Bombers would not go away and capitalize on the Springfield missed free throws to storm all the way back to complete a 16-3 run to close regulation as Yawman hit a side step three as time expired to tie the game and force overtime. 

In the extra period, the lead changed four times. After a Hourihan layup with 12 seconds left, Emily Dorr was fouled by Czeremcha and sent her to the line, where she hit one-of-two to tie the game at 71 a piece with 11 seconds remaining. After a deflection out of bounds, Springfield set up a baseline out of bounds play with 1.1 seconds remaining, which freed up Hourihan for the midrange jumper to give Springfield the epic victory in over time. 

Springfield will advances to next weekend's Sweet Sixteen on Friday, March 11.