Bronxville, N.Y. – The Concordia women's basketball team battled Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) South Division opponent Philadelphia University on Saturday afternoon for their only regular season meeting. The Clippers would overcome a three-point deficit with 30 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime but a layup for the Rams with 24 seconds remaining in the extra period would give Philadelphia an 83-82 victory.
Concordia jumped out to an early 13-6 lead but the Rams would slowly cut into their deficit and tie the score at 19-19 with 9:20 left in the opening half. The Clippers would not trail for much of the first 20 minutes and opened up a five point advantage with 2:47 remaining in the period. Philadelphia ended the half on a 7-3 run but Concordia would hold a 40-39 lead going into the locker room.
The Rams grabbed their first lead, 41-40, following a layup to begin the second half. The Clippers would retake the lead and open up a seven point advantage with 16:07 remaining but Philadelphia would stay close and use a 5-0 run with seven minutes left in regulation to take a 57-55 lead.
With two minutes remaining in the second half the Rams used a 9-2 run to grab a 70-67 advantage with 35 seconds left. In Concordia would score a layup and then Philadelphia would respond with a breakaway layup to still hold a three-point advantage with 26 seconds on the clock. On the ensuing possession for the Clippers, senior Krystina Agard (Queens, N.Y.) would drive down the lane for a three-point play and tied the game at 72-72 to send the game into overtime.
In the overtime session, the Rams would hold a four point lead only to have Concordia knock down a three-point basket to get within a point as 2:30 remained on the clock. In the final minute of play, the Clippers would score four unanswered points to hold an 82-81 advantage with 46 seconds left.
Following a timeout by Philadelphia, the Rams would score a layup with 24 seconds left to regain a one point lead. Concordia would have two looks at taking the lead which included a three-point shot and a layup but the Clippers were unable to score the game winning basket as Philadelphia edged out an 83-82 victory, their 12th of the season.
Agard led Concordia with 26 points and a team-high 10 rebounds while adding seven assists and two steals in 45 minutes of action. Sophomore Mariah Berry (Southington, Conn.) added a career-high 22 points and also grabbed five rebounds while senior Sade Jones (Patterson, N.J.) chipped in with 13 points and seven rebounds as junior Victoria Jones (Staten Island, N.Y.) finished with 10 points. The Clippers shot 31-of-67 (46.3%) from the field and connected on nine three-point baskets as they were outrebounded 44-35.
Concordia (8-17, 7-10 CACC) will host Felician on Tuesday evening in a crucial game with playoff implications. Both teams are on the outside of the playoff picture and looking to grab the fourth seed in the North Division. Tip-off is set for 5pm in the Meyer Athletic Center as fans unable to attend the game can follow the action via Live Stats and Live Video on ConcordiaClippers.com.