BANNER ELK, N.C. –
MaKayla Smith collected a rebound off an initial shot by
Aurora Roberts and scored the game-winning jumper with .6 seconds left in the contest to lift the Lees-McRae women's basketball team past visiting Belmont Abbey in overtime, 73-71, to move to 6-4 on the McNair & Debi Tornow Court this season.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Lees-McRae – 73; Belmont Abbey – 71 (OT)
LOCATION: McNair & Debi Tornow Court – Banner Elk, North Carolina
RECORDS: Lees-McRae (8-14/8-12), Belmont Abbey (16-8/14-6)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Destiny Johnson finished with 17 points to lead the Bobcats in scoring while also adding five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
- Smith, who scored the game-winning shot, finished with 16 points, five rebounds, five assists. two blocks, and three steals.
- Malikah Meyers and Jala Holloman both chipped in 11 points, while Roberts added 10 points off of the bench.
- Belmont Abbey held the momentum early with a 7-2 run, but a late 16-7 run by the Bobcats gave Lees-McRae an 18-14 lead at the first intermission.
- The Bobcats extended the lead to double-digits in the second frame and used a late layup by McKenna Kersat to claim a 35-25 halftime lead.
- The Crusaders slowly chipped away at the lead in the third quarter, but another timely run by the Bobcats extended the lead back 52-45 at the end of the third.
- Belmont Abbey used a three-pointer with just over a minute left in the contest to even the score at 64-64 and force the extra session.
- Both teams traded runs in the extra five-minute overtime with the score remaining 71-71 with just over 30 seconds left.
- Roberts shot a three with nine seconds remaining and the rebound found its way to Smith, just to the right of the painted area, who converted the go-ahead layup with .6 seconds left to clinch the conference win.
- Lees-McRae held a 22-8 edge in points off turnovers and outscored the visitors 14-11 in bench production.
FOR THE FOES:
- Three Crusaders scored in double figures, led by Alexis Schulz with a game-high 23 points and seven rebounds.
UP NEXT:
The Bobcat will travel to Mount Olive on Saturday for a 2 p.m. conference showdown.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on Twitter (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
