DeCoud hits Game-winner to Pull Lady Crusaders above by One on Saturday
IRVING, Texas – Sophomore Michelle DeCoud (Monument, Colo.) drained a contested jumper in the final five seconds to propel the University of Dallas women's basketball team (7-9, 3-4 SCAC) to victory, 55-54, over Schreiner University (6-11, 4-3) on Saturday.
It was a low-scoring battle that featured 11 ties and eight lead changes. The defending SCAC Player-of-the-Week would net the heroic field goal to give her 16 points, but it was a team-wide effort that sent the Lady Crusaders on a 3-1 homestand against conference foes. It was also the home team's first win versus Schreiner since the programs began playing each other in the league in 2013-14.
Coming out of intermission with a 27-27 deadlock, Dallas would push its largest advantage of the game to double-digits (42-32) on a trifecta by junior Lindsey Gendron (Houston, Texas). She tallied three of UD's made three-pointers in the contest, and her latest would be with 3:52 minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Schreiner's Kelsie Jackson would counter with a trey of her own and the Mountaineers closed the frame out on an 11-4 run. That streak carried into the final 10 minutes with another trifecta by Alina Hilliard to knot the contest 46-46. After junior Holly Tonry (Seattle, Wash.) split at the free throw line to lift UD in front, the two squads went in an offensive drought for two minutes. Hilliard would connect on her second three-pointer in a row to have Schreiner take the lead once again with 5:31 left. The guests hit three out of the four made field goals in the fourth from downtown.
That advantage was short lived in this back-and-forth game, with Gendron sinking a pair of free throws and junior Caitlyn Worry (Lumberton, Texas) completing a layup to push the Navy and White in front 51-49. On that breakaway, Tonry would notch her 10th defensive round and assist at the time to boast a double-double in those categories. DeCoud's field goal just under two minutes later would be the next points on the scoreboard for either team.
SU's Sabriyyah Fennell nipped the deficit to 53-51 with 1:58 remaining and Jackson produced the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:17 to lift the Mountaineers in front. Both teams would go empty on each respective possession and Dallas earned the final ball with 15 seconds remaining. DeCoud kept calm and finished the necessary jump shot just past the free throw line on an assist from Tonry.
Neither team had much rhythm on the floor offensively in this one. The first quarter witnessed both squads under double-digits in the scoring column, and a combined 16. DeCoud etched the first two for the Lady Crusaders with about a minute and 15 seconds out of the tip. Fennell forced the first of many ties on two free throws. Schreiner did not record a successful field goal until Hilliard's trey with 56 seconds left in the quarter. Another three by Cassandra Aleman gave the team's second field goal within 26 seconds.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Gendron paced the Lady Crusaders for the second time this weekend with her second double figure scoring performance. She matched a season-high 17 points. After DeCoud's 16 points, junior Seana Stoia (Tulsa, Okla.) added 10 to round out the trio of double-digit scorers.
- Stoia notched her first double-double this season with a season-high 11 rebounds, and Tonry completed her unique double-double with career-highs in assists with 11 and boards with 10. Her previous personal best was nine dimes on January 7, 2014 versus Dallas Christian College.
- Dallas shot 36.7 percent from the floor and 25 percent behind the three-point line. The team did most of the scoring in the paint with a 32-16 edge. UD won the turnover battle forcing 13 compared to surrendering 11. The team's each had 19 assists.
- The Mountaineers shot 28.8 percent in field goals for the game, with a 25.7-mark in the second stanza. The team did make 10 three-pointers and was 35.7 percent from long range. SU won the rebounding battle, 48-42, and also included 20 on the offensive glass.
- Jackson led the Mountaineers with the lone double-digit performance on the team with 19 points. 12 came off trifectas. Hilliard and Fennell each tossed in nine points. Jackson recorded a double-double with a game-high 12 boards.
THOUGHTS FROM GROTHE
"The team played with heart and determination tonight, and fought the whole way. We never stopped until the buzzer sounded. Holly controlled the tempo and led us to a tough win." – Head Coach Greta Grothe
UP NEXT
Dallas will begin a five-game road trip with non-conference foe Southwestern Adventist University on Monday. It will be the third contest in four days. Tip-off is at 6 p.m.