Women's Basketball Left Heartbroken Against Washington College

Women's Basketball Left Heartbroken Against Washington College

CHESTERTOWN, Md. – A crazy finish that ended in heartbreak for the Ursinus College women's basketball team (7-16, 6-12 CC) on Wednesday night in Chestertown. Leading 63-61 with eight seconds left, Washington College (9-13, 6-11 CC) hit three free throws, including two with 0.2 seconds remaining as the Bears came up short, 64-63.

Wednesday's game is one that will mostly be remembered for its finish. With 4.2 seconds left, Lydia Konstanzer was called for a shooting foul, giving a pair of free throws to the Shorewomen. Crystal Jones went to the line and made the front half to make it a one-point game, but missed the second off the back rim.

With everyone scrambling for the loose ball in the far corner, Washington College was granted possession and a timeout with what was thought to be 1.2 seconds remaining. However, after discussion, it was determined that 2.5 seconds would be added to the clock to go from 1.2 to 3.7 seconds.

The craziness did not end there. Inbounding from the sideline, Jones caught the in-bound at the top of the three-point line and drove in for a last-second lay-up. She initially lost the ball going up on the first attempt, but regained possession and went back up as the final buzzer sounded off. However, Maddy Sorokanych was called for a foul with 0.2 seconds left, giving Washington College a chance to tie and take a last-second lead.

A 68% free throw shooter on the season and 2-for-4 in the game, Jones sunk both free throws as the Bears fell 64-63. It's the fifth time this season that the Bears have lost by three points or less and the second time that they've fallen by a single point.

While Wednesday's contest will most certainly be remembered for the final 10 seconds, how we got there was pretty good as well. The Bears came out looking strong as Konstanzer made three consecutive lay-ins to give Ursinus an early 8-5 lead.

Taking a 16-13 lead into the second quarter, Ursinus remained in control. After the Shorewomen tied the game at 19 for the first time since 2-2. Stephens immediately put Ursinus back up with a lay-up in the paint, sparking a 6-0 run that was capped off by back-to-back jumpers by Konstanzer.

The momentum did not end there. A pair of made free throws from Konstanzer put the Bears up by double digits for the first time in the game and then a three from Margrett Brown had Ursinus leading by 11, 37-26, in the waning moments of the first half. Washington College, however, ended on a 5-0 run as the Bears took a 37-31 lead into the locker room.

The Shorewomen climbed back in the third quarter. The Bears eventually found themselves trailing 44-42 before a Gabby Downs trey put them back in the lead. The two sides would go into the final frame all tied up at 47.

An Aliyah Stephens 'and-one' three-point play gave Ursinus the first three points of the game's final 10-minutes. Washington College remained within reach throughout the quarter, tying the game at 54 and then taking a 56-55 lead with 3:46 to play.

The two teams traded baskets and lead changes until Ursinus led 62-60 with 1:51 remaining after a Konstanzer jumper. Konstanzer made the first of two free throws with 1:09 left to go up 63-61, leading to the eventual late-game drama that ended with a one-point Bears loss.

Konstanzer led the Bears scoring with 27 points – her most since January 7th against McDaniel. The senior also had 14 rebounds to give her a double-double. Aliyah Stephens (16) and Marisa Morano (12) ended with double-digit scoring as well.

The Bears are back home on Saturday for senior day against Johns Hopkins.