Providence College Athletics
Providence College
6-13, 1-7
Syracuse
9-11, 2-7
Women's Basketball Drops Overtime Heartbreaker To Syracuse, 77-76
1/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 28, 2006
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Providence College women's basketball team fell to Syracuse, 77-76, in overtime during BIG EAST Conference action on Saturday, January 28 at Alumni Hall/Mullaney Gymnasium in Providence, R.I. Syracuse's Jenny Eckhart scored 19 points, and buried a game-tying three-point basket with eight seconds left in regulation to force overtime. The Orange also got a big effort from Vaida Sipaviciute, who registered a double-double on a game-high 25 points and 13 rebounds, and added four blocked shots.
Providence was paced by four players in double figures, including freshman Shantee Darrian (Trenton, N.J.) and fifth-year senior Gayle Nwafili (Maplewood, N.J.), who each recorded double-doubles. It marked the first double-double of Darrian's career as she came away with a career-high 12 points and matched a career-high with 14 rebounds. Nwafili hit for 14 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Shauna Snyder (Albuquerque, N.M.) and freshman Chelsea Marandola (Johnston, R.I.) finished the game with 19 points and 16 points, respectively. Senior guard Allie Gard (Colorado Springs, Colo.) matched a career-high with seven assists in the Friar effort.
In the first half, the two teams were knotted at 15-15 with 10:25 on the game clock. The Friars went on a 12-0 run to earn a 27-15 lead at the 7:06 mark. The Orange managed to cut the Friars lead to two points (32-30) with 1:42 left in the half, but PC scored two unanswered baskets to take a 36-30 lead into the locker room at halftime.
In the second half, Syracuse tied the game, 38-38, at the 15:57 mark on an 8-2 scoring run. The Orange took the lead (40-38) with 14:36 on the clock as Sipaviciute hit a lay-up. The Friars would tie the game twice over the next seven and a half minutes but were unable to regain the lead until 7:11 left in regulation (53-52). Sipaviciute answered again for Syracuse on another lay-up at 6:45 to give the Orange a 54-53 advantage. PC tied the game, 54-54, on a Marandola free-throw at 5:10 and Darrian put the Friars ahead (56-54). The Friars led by as many as four points down the stretch and held onto the lead until Eckhart drilled her three-pointer to tie the game (68-68) with eight seconds left. PC had a chance to win the game in the final seconds, but Gard's lay-up in traffic missed the mark.
In the overtime session, Syracuse gained a six-point lead (76-70) with 2:16 remaining on the clock. Snyder hit a three-pointer for PC with 1:27 on the clock to get the Friars within three (76-73). The Orange turned the ball over with 1:06 left and PC missed two shot attempts over the next 1:01. On the second shot attempt with 26 seconds left, Syracuse hauled in the defensive rebound and called timeout. Providence was forced to foul and sent Amanda Adamson to the charity stripe with 24 seconds left on the clock. Adamson missed the first and made the second to give Syracuse a four-point edge (77-73). Marandola nailed a second-straight three-point bucket for PC with 12 seconds left to cut the Orange's lead to one (77-76). PC fouled Adamson again, who missed both free-throw attempts with 10-seconds remaining. The Friars brought the ball over halfcourt and called timeout with five seconds left. The Friars got an open look to win the game, but the shot rimmed out and Syracuse managed the one-point win (77-76).
Providence College (6-13, 1-7 BIG EAST) plays it's next two games on the road. On Tuesday, January 31 the Friars will tip-off against Marquette in Milwaukee, Wisc. at 8:00 p.m. (ET). Providence will then make it's way to Notre Dame, Ind. to take on nationally-ranked Notre Dame at 1:00 p.m. (ET). PC returns to Alumni Hall/Mullaney Gymnasium to face West Virginia on Tuesday, February 7. The game will be televised locally on COX Sports Television (COX3) and is scheduled to tip-off at 7:05 p.m.
