Jan. 28, 2017 Final Stats
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The LMU women's basketball earned its second win over BYU in the 15-game series with a 77-74 overtime decision Saturday afternoon at Gersten Pavilion.
With the game tied at 63-63 at the end of regulation, Jackie Johnson and Andee Velasco poured in the opening 11 points of the extra frame to thrust LMU (10-11, 5-5 WCC) ahead, 74-70, BYU's (13-8, 7-3) Cassie Broadhead, who finished with a game-high 24 points, connected on four straight from the free throw line to make it a one-point game, 75-74, with 53 ticks left.
With the Cougars looking to take the lead after four missed free throws from the Lions, Johnson blocked Broadhead's go-ahead layup and Leslie Lopez-Woood added two from the charity stripe to make it 77-74. On the final posession with eight seconds to go, LMU smothered BYU and Raychel Stanley got a piece of a last-second 3-point attempt to sink the WCC front-runner.
Johnson tabbd her 10th double-double of the season, posting team-highs of 23 points and 14 rebounds. Velasco scored a career-high 21 points to go with seven assists. Makenzie Cast and Stanley also notched double digits with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
GAMEDAY STORYLINES
• LMU opened the game cold, connecting on just 1-of-10 from the floor before heating up the end the half, shooting 7-for-8 in the final three minutes to hold a 18-15 edge. Stanley started the streak with a mid-range jumper and Lopez-Wood closed the quarter with a desperation 3-pointer right before the buzzer.
• Johnson continued the keep up the tempo in the second frame, hitting her opening two shots to give LMU its largest lead of the half, 26-20, with 6:33 left in the frame. BYU reeled off a 6-0 run to tie it up before Johnson and Lopez-Wood hit back-to-back jumpers to reclaim the lead, while Johnson scored the final eight of LMU's 10 points in the second to take a 34-29 lead at the break.
• LMU's lead at the half was just the second time in the 15-game series history the Lions had the upper hand at the break.
• Velasco and Stanley netted back-to-back layups to start the third, giving the Lions a 38-29 lead until the Cougars spurted a 7-1 run to make it a one-possession game at the media break, 39-36, and closed the gap to 45-41 at the end of the third.
• BYU opened the fourth with a 14-4 run to take its first lead since the opening two minutes at 53-49 with 6:33 to go. From there, Cast started the take over the game, hitting three straight 3-pointers to put LMU on top 63-56. BYU closed the gap and hit a pair of free throws to tie it up at 63-63 with 4.1 ticks left, while LMU's last-second shot fell short to send the game into overtime.
FROM COACH ELLIOTT
• "This team, they have so much heart and the way that we're just giving up ourselves and just really making it all about the team. Tonight, this team decided they weren't going to lose, and I'm so proud of them."
• "Everybody is showing up. Makenzie, great minutes tonight. Raychel had huge minutes inside." BYU is such a tough team and I thought our defense was fantastic. Andee probably played the best game of the season for her.
• "There's such great chemistry, there's such great trust. I just thought Raychel stepped up defensively, rebounding, mindset."
• "We know how hard we have to play, I think that's what we've learned over these past few games. The energy, the intensity, we've got to get out there. I told them get out of yourself and get into the team. That's the most important thing right now because it's everybody on a different night stepping up."
UP NEXT
The Lions will remain at Gersten Pavilion next weekend as it kicks off February with a 7 p.m. clash against San Diego on Thursday.
TICKETS
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