Free throws down the stretch do in women's basketball
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GREELEY, Colo. – South Dakota made seven of ten free throws in overtime to defeat the Northern Colorado women's basketball team on opening night at Butler-Hancock.
The Coyotes actually scored 17 of their final 19 in the game from the charity stripe, making only a layup in the final seconds to force the overtime.
On the flip side, Northern Colorado made only one of its six free throw attempts in the final 1:12 of the second half and saw a seven point lead (54-47) evaporate in the final 2:15.
"We didn't finish on some plays," said head coach Jaime White. "And we didn't hit free throws down the stretch. South Dakota did a nice job and they have some nice players. In overtime, they switched to zone (defense) and we had some miscommunications because of it. The game was won at the free throw line. We also can't shoot 11 percent from the field in overtime. If we don't start hitting some field goals, we're in trouble."
Unfortunately for the Bears, sophomore forward Lauren Oosdyke fouled out just 14 seconds into the overtime period. She left with a game-best 19 points and had a team-best nine rebounds. She also made the first three-pointer of her career.
"Lauren had a good game tonight," said White. "It's one of those things where we couldn't take her out. That foul at the end was unfortunate."
Junior forward Kaisha Brown added nine points, while senior Courtney Stoermer and freshman D'shara Strange each had three assists. Junior college transfer Amy Marin led the game with four steals as six different Bears recorded at least one.
Stoermer continued her climb up all the career charts at Northern Colorado. Her six points moved her into 11th all-time with 1,057 as she passes Jamie Schrier (1983-86), who scored 1,052. She also recorded her 300th career assist in the contest and now has 302 and with two steals, now has 171, needing just 18 more to tie the all-time record.
The Bears shot just .295 from the field for the game and were just 3-for-17 from beyond the arc. At the free throw line, the team shot .545 but did not attempt one in overtime.
South Dakota shot .386 for the game, including .353 from three-point land and .564 from the free throw line.
Northern Colorado has a quick turnaround, hosting Air Force on Sunday afternoon. The Bears and Falcons tip at 3:05 pm in Butler-Hancock.
"Air Force is going to press us full court," said White. "They will be physical and aggressive and we can't back down. It will be good experience for some of our younger kids."
