MARCY, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly women's basketball team prevailed over the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences on Thursday in an edge of your seat, overtime game that saw the lead change hands three times in the last three minutes of play. The Wildcats would ultimately squeak out the 69-67 win over the Panthers.
The Wildcats got out to a big lead early in the first half thanks in large part to big time production from senior Geena Gallo (Ballston Spa, N.Y. / Ballston Spa HS). Geena scored 16 points in the first half in route to her first double-double of the season. She finished the day with a game high 24 points, a game high 13 rebounds, and a game high 5 assists.
The Panthers had no quit in them. They were able to battle back from an 18 point deficit late in the second quarter to a 58-58 tie at the end of regulation. For the Panthers, Morgan Esperti had a team high 20 points, had three assists and three steals in her 37 minutes of play. Allie Mitchell came up clutch from behind the three point line. She shot 4-9 from three point land and had 6 of her 12 points come in the fourth quarter of play. Allie also drained a deep three in overtime for the Panthers.
For the Wildcats, Lauren Knowles (Salisbury Mills, N.Y. / Washingtonville HS) recorded her third double-double of the season. She dominated the low block recording 13 rebounds (5 offensive) and had five blocks in the game. Lauren scored 20 points in the game, almost all coming from the low post or the free throw line. She fought the Panthers hard in the paint and came out on top.
Emily Alicea (Mohegan Lake, N.Y. / Lakeland HS) played the part of clutch performer in the game. She scored her points when the Wildcats needed them most. With her team down five points in overtime, Emily nailed a huge three point shot to put them back within two. After a defensive stop two possessions later, Emily again sniped out a three pointer to give the Wildcats a one point lead. After a quick score from Albany Pharm. Emily again took things into her own hands driving hard to the basket and knocking down a contested layup. She was fouled on the play and nailed the free throw. Alicea ended up with 11 points in the game, nine of which came in overtime. She also registered four assists, four rebounds, and two steals.
Geena Gallo would ultimately win the game for the Wildcats when she knocked down a contested layup with just six ticks left on the clock. The Panthers would miss their last second deep desperation shot to win the game.
Statistically SUNY Poly had the edge in the matchup statistics. The Wildcats shot better from the field (43%-42%), better from three (50%-36%) and better from the free throw line (53%-50%). The Wildcats also had the edge on the glass, out rebounding the Panthers 48-34. SUNY Poly had more assists (16-12) and more blocks (4-0). The Panthers forced more turnovers in the game; SUNY Poly turned the ball over 19 times, while the Panthers had only 11. Albany Pharm. also had more points off of turnovers (22-9) and more steals (10-7) than the Wildcats.
The win brings SUNY Poly's overall record to 4-1. The Wildcats have a nine day break coming up. Their next game will be at SUNY Cortland on December 19th at noon. Live stats for the event will be available HERE
