San Antonio, TX------- it was a close game as four periods were not enough to decide a winner, coming back from being down by 21, the Colonels won in overtime against Trinity with a final score of 84-76. With this win, Centre takes the number 1 spot in the conference.
Centre and Trinity traded empty possessions early before
Lilly Reid opened the scoring with a layup to put Centre up 2-0. Trinity answered quickly behind Natalie Greenwood, who scored twice in the opening two minutes to keep the game even.
A turnover by the colonels led to a fast-break three from Kylie Minter, sparked by defensive pressure from Ivory Scott, giving Trinity its first lead 7-4, with continued added defensive pressure forcing multiple Centre turnovers, and a three knocked down by Livy Sauvageau extended the lead further.
Following the media timeout, Centre found some rhythm, with Clarie Russell scoring inside. However, Trinity responded with a tip-in off an offensive rebound by Emma Watsonto re-extend the lead. Centre responded with a fast-break jumper by
Lola Fouts, cutting the margin down to four.
Trinity closed the quarter strong with Minter converting two free throws, and after more forced turnovers. Late substitutions paid off as Maddie Mueller scored off an assist from Dana Gingery. The quarter closed with Trinity ahead 23-15
The second quarter starts with a momentum shift in Centre's favor, as KaNiah Edelen makes a layup and draws a foul, going to the line. Both teams struggled after this, with multiple missed shots and difficulty converting off rebounds.
The pace picked up midway through as Skye O'Rourke broke through with a jumper to steady Trinity, and with a defensive stop, the Tigers were able to stretch the lead. Colonels continued to battle, getting interior scoring from
Trinity Armour and later
Claire Russell, who scored on consecutive possessions to pull Centre back within five.
The closing minutes belonged to the Tigers with Emma Winans adding a free throw, and Jivana Caceres made an immediate impact off the bench, knocking a three-pointer to cap a 10-0 scoring run. The first half ends with Trinity ahead 44-29.
The beginning of the second half starts with Trinity, leaning on the defensive pressure with a stream of forced turnovers and converting in transition to extend its lead. Sauvageau and Greenwood scored early to push the margin to double digits.
Centre mounted their best run of the quarter with back-to-back turnovers leading to transition opportunities, and
Claire Russell finished a fast-break layup to cut the deficit to 15. The period ends with Trinity still in a double-digit lead.
The fourth period was a tight and close matchup as Centre mounts a big comeback, starting with a jumper from
Lindsay Jessie. as the quarter continued both teams traded baskets with Skye O'Rourke and Minter helped convert in the paint for trinity and Centre's Reid and Combs repeatedly answered with jumpers and putbacks.
down to the final minutes, became a nail-biter as the score was tied at 65-65 after a layup by Reid. Trinity regained the lead briefly from free throws by Minter and Sauvageau. Centre fought back with key scoring from Campbell and Russell, continuing to tie the game multiple times.
The tension held up as the fourth period closed at a tie of 72-72, leaving the outcome completely up in the air heading into overtime.
Centre opens overtime with a continuation of momentum from the fourth as Campbell hits a jumper in the first seconds. Trinity struggles to keep up with the Colonels' momentum with a turnover and a missed jumper by Sauvageau.
Colonels go on a scoring run, two layups from Reid, Edelen at the line to knock down a pair of free throws, but it wasn't all offensive as the defensive pressure begins to build with multiple forced turnovers and missed shots continuing for Trinity.
Centre closes out the game with an 8-point lead over Trinity, final score being 84-76.
