Box Score LACEY, Wash – Krista Stabler sank the Crusaders season with one heartbreaking shot at the buzzer.
The St. Martin's guard launched a 25-foot, desperation 3-pointer that banked off the glass and in, tying the game and forcing overtime where for the Saints prevailed, 69-67, over Northwest Nazarene in in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball thriller.
"I loved our collective effort and fight tonight," said NNU head women's basketball coach
Ryan Bragdon. "We played really well down the stretch defensively and hit big free throws. Unfortunately, Krista Stabler hit a big-time, contested deep 3 to send it to overtime and it came down to a couple possessions that didn't go our way."
A thriller and a heartbreaker as NNU (7-19, 5-12 GNAC) went from being a win Saturday night away from making the six-team GNAC playoffs to being eliminated from postseason contention with the road loss on Thursday night.
"St. Martin's played extremely physical defense in the paint, and especially in the first half we just didn't go up strong and finish shots in the paint," Bragdon said.
"We knew coming in that we had to keep them off the offensive glass, and in stretches we just didn't do that and it hurt us," added NNU's coach, whose team was out-rebounded 54-45, including 26-21 on the offensive end.
That led to an early 24-14 deficit for the Crusaders, a lead that didn't last long, though, as NNU battled back and built as much as a 50-44 lead of its own on two
Kate Cryderman free throws with 5 minutes left in regulation.
And when Cryderman was fouled in the final 5 seconds following a traveling call against the Saints, NNU's forward appeared to ice the win with two more freebies, making the score 58-55.
But Stabler took the inbound pass, raced up floor and banked home a step-back 3 that sent the game into overtime.
The Saints (10-15, 7-10) then grabbed a quick four-point advantage in the extra session and weathered two late, off-the-mark chances by the Crusaders to win it.
"Credit to our kids who played their hearts out from start to finish," Bragdon said. "The ball once again just didn't bounce our way tonight."
Cryderman finished with 14 points while
Lexi Tubbs and
Ellie Logan each scored 12 points for the Crusaders.
Taylor Simmons added 10 points, five steals and seven rebounds and
Cierra White finished with seven points and 10 boards for NNU.
An NNU team that now plays its final game of the season Saturday at Western Oregon, instead of playing for a GNAC playoff berth as part of a four-team tie for sixth place.
