SHERMAN, Texas – The Trinity University women's basketball team closed out a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference weekend on the road with an 87-83 overtime win over Austin College (TX) on Saturday evening.
The win means a weekend sweep for the Tigers, who improve to 9-6 overall and 5-1 in SCAC play. The 'Roos fall to 7-7 overall and 3-3 in conference, with Trinity improving the series record to 35-17 against Austin. The Tigers have won 10 straight meetings between the two schools, dating back to the 2020 SCAC Tournament.
Trinity broke a 67-67 tie in the final seconds as
Kylie Minter (League City, Texas / Clear Springs) calmly converted two free throws after being fouled on a go-ahead layup attempt.
Elaine King (Cedar Park, Texas / Cedar Park) then blocked the tying shot attempt, though Austin College had one last shot on an inbound play under the basket and beat the buzzer to send the game to overtime. It took over a minute for either team to score, but then both offenses caught fire.
Josie Napoli (Beaverton, Ore. / Valley Catholic) made seven straight points for Trinity, capped by a go-ahead three-pointer to make it a 78-76 game with under two minutes to go.
After Austin tied things up again at the foul line, Minter knocked down a jump shot with just under a minute left to reclaim the advantage for the Tigers. The 'Roos made just 1-of-2 at the line and then
Bailey Timmons (Argyle, Texas / Argyle) sank a corner three-pointer to extend the Tiger lead to 83-79 with less than 20 seconds left. Austin answered with a three-ball of its own to cut it to a one-point game, but Napoli went 4-for-4 at the line in the final seconds to clinch the victory.
Napoli tied her career-high with 27 points, hitting 15-of-16 at the line for the game. Her 15 free throws made are tied for the second-most in school history – the most in a Trinity game since January of 2010. She also dished out a team-best seven assists to go with three steals – also tied for the most on the team. Napoli scored 11 of Trinity's 18 points in overtime, hitting 3-for-3 from the field and 4-for-4 at the line.
Trinity trailed by 10 points at halftime and by 12 early in the third quarter; however, the Tigers finished that third quarter with 23 points and took a 54-52 lead into the final period. Trinity shot just over 46% from the field but hit just 4-of-17 (23.5%) from three-point range. Austin was just shy of 52% shooting overall and 12-for-21 (57.1%) three-point shooting proved especially helpful in keeping up with the Tigers. The biggest advantage was at the foul line as the Tigers hit better than 80% at the line and scored more free throws (29) than Austin took (15).
Napoli scored the first seven points of the game and Trinity led for more than half of the first quarter of play. Austin took its first lead with 4:28 remaining and wound up with a 21-18 advantage after one period. The second quarter was the worst of the night for Trinity, which managed just 13 points total for the 10-minute stretch of the game. Austin made the first two shots of the third and led 26-18 after less than a minute, but the Tigers scored six straight points to make it a one-possession game near the seven-minute mark. Minter scored an and-one bucket and free throw just over a minute later to make it a 28-27 game, then Napoli drew her team within two points on two different occasions – the last of which came with just over three minutes left in the half. Trinity was held scoreless over the final 3:19, though, and Austin led 41-31 at the break.
The 'Roos struck first after halftime and the lead was still 12 after two minutes of the third quarter were gone. The Tigers roared for a 15-0 run from that point on and took a 48-45 lead to turn the game around.
Skye O'Rourke (Austin, Texas / Vandegrift) put Trinity in front with her second layup during the run that came at the midway point of the period. Minter, who scored six of the 15 Trinity points, sank two free throws to cap off the streak less than a minute later. Austin tied the game shortly after with a three-pointer, then took a slim lead with just over two minutes left.
Ivory Scott (Waco, Texas / Waco) scored four of Trinity's six points to close out the period and the Tigers held the two-point margin heading into the fourth. The teams traded leads to start the final period, but Trinity broke a 61-61 tie with five unanswered points to take control with 2:39 to play. Austin then chipped away and tied things up 67-67 with over a minute left, setting up the final sequence that eventually led to Trinity's win.
Coach Speak
"That's a wrap on Sherman," said Head Coach
Cameron Hill. "Hands down some of the best games we've played in our time in this league. Today was no exception. Reminds me of the end of
Ford vs. Ferrari. The slight nod from Enzo to Ken summed up the whole film. Respect to the worthy opponent. ONWARD!"
Up Next
Trinity will be back in action for another SCAC road trip next weekend, facing off against McMurry University (TX) and Concordia University (TX). The Tigers take on McMurry at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, January 24, in Abilene, Texas, followed by a 4:00 p.m. tip in Austin, Texas, on Sunday at 12:00 p.m.
