Boiling Springs, N.C. ? Down 11 points only three minutes into the ballgame, the Stetson women's basketball team (4-16, 2-5 Atlantic Sun) used three double-figure scoring efforts to rally back and then win in overtime over host Gardner-Webb Monday night. The Hatters claimed their first road win of the 2007-08 season by a 71-68 score. Junior center Ayesha Barkley (East Orange, N.J.) scored a career-high 21 points en route to her first career double-double. Junior guard Sharnesha Smith (Kingsland, Ga.) added a season-best 20 points including the bucket that forced overtime.
The Hatters scored the first four points of overtime to take a 65-61 lead, but a three-point play by Monique Hudson got Gardner-Webb back within one at 65-64. Sophomore forward Ashli Jackson's (Opelika, Ala.) basket in the paint on the ensuing possession with 1:53 left bumped the lead back to three and Stetson would hold the hosts off from there to claim its first road victory of the season. That shot gave Jackson her only points of the game.
After a lengthy delay caused by a broken shot clock with 2:49 remaining in regulation, Stetson took possession trailing 58-56 after a heady defensive play (a blocked shot and a tie-up) from freshman guard Brittany Carannante (Clearwater, Fla.). Barkley tied the ballgame with a layup off an assist from Carannante for the last of her 21 points.
Stetson got the ball back and on the ensuing possession, Brown gave the Hatters a one-point lead by hitting one of two free throws. With 52 seconds left, a foul on Barkley put GWU's Meranda Burnett on the line for a one-and-one. She sank both shots to put her team ahead by one, 60-59.
Stetson still had a chance down by two with 7.4 seconds on the clock and Head Coach Dee Romine made sure her team made the most of it. Coming out of the team's final timeout, Sharnesha Smith forced overtime by driving half the length of the court on an isolation play and laying it in with 2.4 seconds to play.
Down 28-26 at halftime, Gardner-Webb came back to tie three different times in the first seven minutes of the second half, but each time the Hatters got themselves back one basket ahead. The Runnin' Bulldogs finally broke through at the 12:31 mark on a Laura Povilonyte basket and free throw, taking a 43-42 advantage. The Hatters stayed within three points until 5:48 remained when Gardner-Webb extended the lead to five for the first time since the opening minutes.
Barkley used 10 for 13 shooting and six offensive rebounds to create her 21-point, 10-rebound double-double, the first of her career and the first double-double by a Hatter in 2007-08. The 10 rebounds tied her career high. She also came up with a career-best three steals and her 25th blocked shot of the season and 54th of her career, tying her with former teammate Janene Maclin '07 and Kristy Brown '05 for sixth all-time in career blocked shots at Stetson. Smith also shot over 50 percent from the floor (10-19), adding four rebounds, two assists and a career-high tying five steals.
Freshman guard Tierra Brown (Orlando, Fla.) also enjoyed a strong game, scoring 16 points, grabbing five rebounds, handing out three assists and recording a block and a steal. Carannante had five rebounds, three assists and a block to go with two points.
Povilonyte did strong work for Gardner-Webb with 18 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. Monique Hudson scored 16 points with four rebounds and three steals while Margaret Roundtree had eight points and 11 rebounds. Dominique Hudson handed out six assists to go with six points.
For the first time in exactly two years to the day, two Stetson women's basketball players scored 20 points in the same game. The last duo to do it was Nefertiti Walker (30) and Maclin (20) against Kennesaw State January 28, 2006.
Stetson immediately fell behind 13-2 in the first three and a half minutes, but responded with a 12-2 run to cut the Bulldog lead to one with 10:30 left in the first half. The Hatters continued to push and Ayesha Barkley gave the visitors their first lead one minute later with a turnaround jumper from the left block. In all, the Hatters used an 18-4 run to turn the 11-point deficit into a 20-17 lead at the under-eight minute media timeout.
The Hatters were able to stretch the lead as high as five before taking a 28-26 lead into the locker room. In an unusual occurrence, only three players scored for Stetson in the first period. Barkley tallied 11 points with five rebounds, Brown had nine and Smith added eight points and ripped four steals. Barkley made five of six field goal attempts in the first half. Tonight marked the first time in the last nine games that Stetson led at halftime, the first time all year the Hatters led at halftime on the road and only the fourth time all season overall.
Povilonyte scored a game-high 12 points and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds as well to lead Gardner-Webb in the first half. Monique Hudson contributed seven points for the Runnin' Bulldogs while Roundtree grabbed seven boards to go with her four points.
Stetson returns to the road Saturday afternoon at A-Sun foe Lipscomb. Tip-off from Allen Arena in Nashville, Tenn. is set for 2 p.m. Central (3 p.m. Eastern). Bill Topping will call all the action between the Hatters and Lady Bisons; the broadcast is available through the official online home of Stetson Athletics, www.gohatters.com.
