Amherst Nails Buzzer Beater to Sink Gulls
Jan. 4, 2008
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The Endicott College women's basketball team dropped a heartbreaking buzzer beating decision to Amherst College in the Gulls' opening game of the Florida Sunshine Shootout on Friday morning in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The Lord Jeffs, coming off a 65-62 win over Saint Norbert on Thursday, were dominant in the opening half as they built a 41-26 advantage entering halftime. The Jeffs used a balanced attack and converted on Endicott miscues to take a 15 point lead into the break.
Amherst would pad its lead to as many as 19 points to begin the second half. With the rust firmly removed from a lay-off that lasted nearly a month, Endicott began mounting its comeback with the charge being led by the one-two punch of Ceciley Chisholm (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) and Nicole Duchesne (Plaistow, N.H./Central Catholic). The Blue and Green shot a staggering 57% (12-of-21) from the floor in the second half to erase the Jeffs' once comfortable advantage.
With the Gulls up four with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, Amhert's Stacy Brossy (Honolulu, Hawaii) hit a three-pointer to give the Jeffs a one point lead. On the ensuing possession, Endicott reclaimed the advantage as the Gulls converted down low on the hoop and the foul to go up by two.
Following the lead change, it was Brossy again who stepped up for Amherst as she drilled her second-straight long ball to put the Jeffs up, 69-68. With 11 ticks left on the clock, the Gulls looked inside for the game-winner. Junior Yasmine Harik (New York, N.Y.) was whistled for a foul on Nicole Duchesne. The Endicott junior guard knocked down both free throws to put the Blue and Green ahead 70-69 with 1.4 seconds remaining.
Following an Amherst timeout, Sarah Leyman (Cincinnati, Ohio) inbounded the ball from underneath the Lord Jeffs' hoop all the way down to the far elbow. After the long ball was tipped into traffic, Samantha Swensen (Rockaway Park, N.Y.) grabbed the ball from an Endicott defender and knocked down a controversial 30-foot prayer as time expired for the win. The three was the first attempt from behind the arc for Swensen this season.
Endicott was led by Nicole Duchesne and Ceciley Chisholm as the pair accounted for 45 of Endicott's 70 points. The pair shot 19-for-20 from the free throw line and 12-of-17 from the floor. Freshman Ashley Vitale (Wilmington, Mass./Wilmington) also chipped in nine points in the hard-luck loss.
Amherst senior tri-captain Stefanie Reiff (Hinsdale, Ill.) led the Jeffs with 15 points and four steals, while Swensen, Leyman and tri-captain Shaina Pollack (Great Neck, N.Y.) each chipped in with 11 points. Pollack had a game-high seven assists to lead Amherst.
Amherst improves to 11-0 with the win, while Endicott drops to 4-5 on the year. Endicott returns to action on Saturday as they finish up the southern swing against Spalding (Ky.).