Danville, KY----- Centre back at home facing the same conference opponents as last weekend, and for this game, it was a repeat result with the Colonels coming out on top with an overtime win over Southwestern 83 – 75.
in the opening period, Centre jumped out early, leaning heavily on
Ka'Niah Edelen in the paint, as she scored the first four points, being able to clear the glass on both ends, and set up teammates as Centre built a 6-0 lead.
Southwestern struggled to score early with a missed three-pointer and a jumper from Neela Castillo. It wasn't until Emma Flores knocked down multiple free throws that cut the margin.
Midway through, Centre continued to dominate.
Tessa Miles, Clarie Russell, and
Lindsay Jessie all scored in the paint, while Edelen added several assists as the Colonels continued to stretch the lead.
Southwestern, while responding with baskets from Adrianna McCoy and a three from Flores, multiple turnovers and missed shots limited their ability to close the gap as Centre closed out the period strong with a three from
Tessa Miles and a last-second jumper from
Isabelle Combs to close out the period up 21-14.
Southwestern seemed to be making adjustments as they came out aggressively in the second quarter and were quick to cut Centre's lead behind Neela Castillo's baskets, forcing Centre to regroup.
Colonels answered with free throws from
Ryleigh Campbell and a strong stretch from Combs, who converted a steal into a fast break layup and added another basket inside to push Centre back in front.
Castillo continued to keep Southwestern close, drilling another three and being aggressive with attacks on the lane. Midway through, they were able to not only tie the game but take the lead 28-27.
Centre responded immediately with a Campbell jumper and
Tessa Miles knocking down a momentum shift three to sway in favor of Centre once again. Late in the quarter, the Pirates had a repeat surge as Castillo hit another three to give Southwestern a 34-32 lead, both teams trading baskets, but Southwestern heads into halftime ahead 36 – 34.
out of halftime, the Pirates' scoring momentum carried over as they opened with strong inside play and free throws from Trinity Benitez to extend the lead to 39-34. Centre struggled with turnovers early and missed layups, as Southwestern Capitalized with a three from Castillo, extending the lead to 44-38.
Colonels fought back behind
Trinity Armour and
Ka'Niah Edelen, who combined for baskets in the paint and helped keep the game close. The second half turned into a physical, back-and-forth stretch. Combs provided a spark for Centre with multiple layups, but Southwestern was there ready to answer with baskets from McCoy, Castillo, and Lizzy Kellam, maintaining and pushing the lead into double digits, taking a 61-54 lead into the fourth.
Centre struggled to convert early possessions, while Southwestern capitalized on turnovers and inside scoring, building the lead even more with only six minutes left. Centre responded with a strong push sparked by
Ryleigh Campbell, who hit a key three, and Isabella Combs, who repeatedly attacked the paint.
Add the Defensive pressure from Ka'Niah, who created steals and transition chances, allowing Centre to steadily chip away at the deficit. A late surge by Combs, including multiple layups and clutch free throws, helped erase the gap.
With the clock, ticking down Colonels Combs calmly knocked down two free throws to tie the game at 72-72 with 55 seconds left. Both teams had the chance to win it in the closing seconds, but missed shots and solid defensive rebounds kept the score at a standstill as they headed into the second overtime of the week.
Over time, proved to be Southwestern's downfall, as Centre took control early, immediately scoring the first six points behind strong interior play from
Arin Nipp and
Lilly Reid. Reid was being effective around the basket, scoring multiple times in the paint.
While Southwestern has a brief response with a fastbreak basket by Lauren Stevens, it proved to be too much as Centre continued to execute on both ends, with Reid adding another bucket, and the defense forcing tough misses down the stretch, being able to close it out on a victory over Southwestern.
