Wayne State overcame a 17-point first-half deficit and hung on for a 68-65 overtime win over South Dakota School of Mines in action Wednesday at Rice Auidtiorium.
Less than 24 hours after opening the Northern Sun Conference campaign with a win over rival Augustana, the Wildcat women came out flat, shooting 8-of-31 from the field in the first half. The Hardrockers led by as many as 17 with 3:51 to go in the half before the Wildcats managed to get within 11 at 34-23 going into the locker room at half.
Wayne State came out in the second half and shot better, getting the lead down to five at 47-42 going to the fourth quarter. They eventually took the lead at 52-51 on a free throw by Lauren Zacharias.
The Hardrockers looked to have the game in hand with a 59-55 lead with :54 to go, but the Wildcats came back to tie the game and had a chance to win it in regulation.
Logan Hughes scored a basket and Maya Fitzpatrick added a layup after a steal to tie the game at 59-59 with :38 to go in regulation. A backcourt violation gave Wayne State the ball with :28 to go, and Hughes was fouled with 1.2 seconds left. She missed both free throws, sending the game into overtime.
Mines got out to a four-point lead with 2:44 to go before the Wildcats made their comeback. Kassidy Pingel hit a basket and Hughes followed with a three-point play with 1:18 to go, giving WSC a 66-65 advantage. The Hardrockers failed to score on their next two possessions, and Fitzpatrick hit two free throws in the closing seconds to seal the win.
Kylie Hammer scored 15 of her team-high 16 points in the second half and overtime. Fitzpatrick followed with 13 while Hughes and Zacharias each had 12 points. Mines’ Ryan Weiss led all scorers with 19 points.
Wayne State (5-1, 1-0 NSIC) are back home Thursday, Dec. 2, hosting Southwest Minnesota State at 7:30 p.m. at Rice Auditorium.
