Box Score COLLEGE PLACE, Wash. –
Tiara Chinn canned a three-pointer with nine seconds to go in the second overtime, giving the Multnomah University Lions their first victory of the season 79-78 over the host Walla Walla University Wolves in a Cascade Collegiate Conference women's basketball game Friday afternoon here at Windemuth Court.
The game was a see-saw affair that featured 13 ties and 16 lead changes. Multnomah jumped put to a 4-0 lead on a layup by Chinn and two
Bethany George free throws, but Walla Walla rallied to force three ties in the opening quarter. An 8-2 run to the end of the period, capped by an Emily Downs jumper at the buzzer, gave the Wolves a 16-10 lead. The home team twice built nine-point leads in the second period, but the Lions, down 29-21 with just under three minutes left, went on a 12-0 tear on three three-pointers by George and one by Chinn, to take 33-29 lead into halftime.
The third quarter alone saw eight lead changes. A
Faith Kraatz layup and two freebies by
Valerie Wakefield with no time left on the clock gave Multnomah a 48-45 lead heading into the fourth period, but a three by Sarah Halversen to open the quarter drew the Wolves back into a tie and started a 10-0 run that gave the hosts a 55-48 lead with six minutes remaining. A 7-0 run by the Lions, capped by two George free throws, made it 55-all with 1:41 left. Michaela Garcia broke the tie for WWU with a three, but Chinn answered with a three of her own to make 60-60 with 50 seconds left, and neither team could score the rest of the way, forcing overtime.
In the first OT, there were four ties and neither led by more than two points until a Chinn free throw made it 74-71 Lions with 14 seconds left. The Wolves answered quickly with a three by Garcia to send it into a second extra frame. After WWU's Morgan Stanyer and Wakefield swapped basket in the first minute, the Wolves missed five shots and the Lions four shots and two free throws over the next three-plus minutes. Garcia hit one free throw with 34 seconds left and Carolina Montes another charity toss with 23 seconds to go, giving the Wolves a 78-76 lead, but Chinn came through with the winning trey for the Lions, and Walla Walla missed two in-close jumpers in the final seconds as time ran out.
--- By the Numbers: Chinn led all scorers with a game and career-high 22 points for the Lions, hitting five threes, George scored 18 with four triples,
Faith Kraatz posted her second straight double-double and third of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Wakefield added 13 points. Wakefield and
Rachelle Tau handed out three assists each, George and Kraatz had three steals apiece, and George blocked a pair of shots.
Downs did the honors for Walla Walla with 19 points, Blankenship scored 15, and Garcia and Montes had 12 each. Garcia made it a double-double with 11 rebounds and Halversen hauled in 10 boards as the Wolves held the edge on the glass 56-47. Garcia passed out five assists, and Blankenship had a pair of steals.
Multnomah, the only NAIA Division II women's team that did not yet have a win this season, got that monkey off its back and is now 1-21 on the season and 1-11 in the conference. Walla Walla fell to 3-14 overall and 1-11 in the CCC.
--- Quoting MU coach Tim Bieri: "I'm very proud of our ladies for their perseverance and grit. They stepped up and made some big plays at big times. Obviously T (Chinn) hit a huge shot tonight, but the whole team really did a lot of good things leading up to that. Specifically, Faith and Beth really stepped up and played well on both ends. Walla Walla has a group of great young players and I'm super impressed with their athleticism and toughness. With the quick turnaround after a great game yesterday, it makes it even more memorable to come out on top today."
--- Next: Multnomah returns home to host Southern Oregon University in a CCC game Friday at 5:30 p.m. … Walla Walla visits the College of Idaho Friday for a 1:00 p.m. Mountain time CCC game … Both will be followed by CCC men's games.
