Jan. 14, 2006
Box Score
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Val Gomez sent the game into overtime at 62-all with a three-pointer with 6.8 seconds remaining in regulation, but a 7-0 spurt late in the extra session propelled Navy to a 75-71 victory at Lafayette in Patriot League women's basketball on Saturday afternoon at Kirby Sports Center.
The Leopards appeared to tie the game on a three by Lindsay Myers with 13 seconds left, but her foot was on the line, making the score 60-59. Lafayette immediately fouled Lauren Skrel, who made both free throws to put the Mids ahead by three. After advancing the ball to midcourt and using a timeout, the Leopards executed their inbounds play and found Gomez in the corner for an open three. Ashley Pelzek missed a jumper at the buzzer to extend the contest.
Emily Garner scored the first five points in overtime to put Lafayette (4-11, 0-3 PL) ahead 67-62 with 2:39 left. Skrel brought Navy (9-7, 2-1 PL) within one with a three-pointer at 1:57. Betsy Burnett gave her team its first lead of the bonus period with a layup with 1:04 on the clock, and extended the advantage to 71-68 with a pair of free throws with 37 seconds to play.
Skrel scored Navy's last four points from the line, the final two following a pair of misses by Burnett after an intentional foul with 10 seconds left to ice the victory. Skrel led the Mids with 22 points and was 12-of-13 from the foul line.
Pelzek scored 13 of her 18 points in the first half, and sent the Mids into the locker room with a 32-23 lead compliments of a three-pointer at the buzzer. Navy led by 12 with 11:44 left in the second half but the Leopards closed the margin with a quick 8-0 run. The Mids stretched their lead to 58-49 with 3:49 remaining before Lafayette made its final push to force overtime.
Myers, Van De Venter and Gomez each scored buckets to pull Lafayette within three, and Garner hit a pair of free throws with 1:23 to play to maintain the three-point deficit after a basket by Burnett. A Navy turnover gave the Leopards the ball back with just over a half-minute left, and Myers recovered an offensive rebound to step back for a long jumper from the corner. Following the timeout, Gomez hit her shot from six inches behind the arc to give the patrons at Kirby five minutes of bonus basketball.
Van De Venter followed her career-high 26 points on Tuesday against Colgate with 17 points and nine rebounds versus the Mids. Gomez finished with 13 on 5-of-7 shooting from the field, and Garner scored all of her 12 points after halftime - six in the final 10 minutes of regulation, and a half-dozen more in overtime.
Myers had five steals to move past current Lafayette head volleyball coach and former basketball standout Terri Dadio Campbell '91 for fourth place on the career steals list, with 202 thefts in 93 games. Myers had 10 points and five boards as well.
Burnett was perfect from the floor (6-for-6) and 4-of-6 from the foul line to score 16 points and join Skrel and Pelzek in double-figures for the Mids.
Lafayette dropped its seventh straight overtime decision dating to a 62-61 double-overtime victory over Central Connecticut State on Feb. 3, 1998. The Leopards played two overtimes in an 89-85 loss at Howard earlier this season on Dec. 2.
Lafayette will return to action in its final non-conference action of the season on Thursday, Jan. 19 at Penn. The tip from the Palestra will be at 7 p.m.
