The 3-pointers fell at the right time for the Raven Women's Basketball team on Thursday night. Back-to-back treys lifted the (RV) Ravens over the (23) Central Methodist University Eagles 67-65 in overtime.
Down 65-60 in overtime, the Ravens got a 3-ball by Sam Brennan with a minute left to play to cut the Eagles lead to 65-63. After the Eagles missed on the other end of the court, Brennan pulled down the rebound and the Ravens went to work on the offensive end.
Facing a tough CMU defense, the Ravens worked the ball around the perimeter. Skylar Washington passed to LaRanda Thomas, who buried a deep ball to push the Ravens in front 66-65 with 25 seconds on the clock.
Again, the defense came up big on the other end of the court, forcing a miss by Lajanea Kimbrough. Washington pulled down the rebound and was fouled, making one free throw to give the Ravens a 2-point lead.
The Ravens defense was up for the final challenge. Brennan blocked Cheyenne Allen's 3-point attempt, securing the win over the ranked Eagles.
The overtime period seemed like a pipe dream at times in the second half. A 3-pointer by CMU's Mercedes Jefflo gave the Eagles a 14-point lead with 6:56 to play in the game. From that point on, though, the Ravens chipped away at the Eagles lead. With 37 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, Washington hit a 3-pointer to tie the score, 56-56, eventually sending the game into the extra period.
Thursday's first half was a mixed bag for the Ravens. On one hand, they forced 11 Eagles turnovers and kept Mercedes Jefflo limited to 4 points when the junior entered the game averaging 20.7 points per contest. On the other hand, the Ravens turned the ball over 16 times and made 1-of-10 from behind the 3-point line, finding themselves behind 28-25 at the break.
The halftime deficit could have been deeper, but a first-quarter run helped erase a very slow start for the Lady Ravens. After the Eagles took an 8-2 lead, the Ravens went on a 7-0 run, capped off by a Natalie Smaron and-1 play, to go up 9-8.
The Eagles went back ahead 21-14 thanks to a 9-0 run in the second quarter, but following a timeout by Head Coach Chad Folsom, the Ravens answered. An 11-7 finish to the second quarter kept the Lady Ravens within 3 points at the halftime break.
The proverbial lid was on the Ravens basket in the third quarter. The home squad had a number of good looks that just wouldn't go through the hoop. At the same time, the Eagles pushed their lead to 13 points and seemed to have control of the game. However, the Ravens never let up and pulled off a terrific comeback.
Washington and Smaron led the Ravens with 12 points, each. Smaron also had nine rebounds. Thomas finished with 8 points and three assists. Jefflo finished with just 9 points for the Eagles.
The Ravens will have a week off before their next game when they travel to Grand View University on Thursday, Jan. 31.
