ERIE, Pa. – Down by one with 4.2 seconds left to play, Emily Detsch threw the long inbounds pass to Holly Bourquin, who got herself in the paint, took a fade-away jumper that went off the back rim and in to lift Penn State Behrend over Pitt-Bradford 52-51 in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC ) women's basketball action on Wednesday night.
Tonight's conference victory was monumental in more ways than one. Senior guard Amy Oldach recorded the first out of 22 points from the free-throw line to reach her 1,000th career point. The win also marked head coach Roz Fornari's 300th coaching victory and in the end moved the Lions (16-6, 12-4 AMCC) into sole possession of third place in the AMCC.
Oldach's 22 points was a game high, while the Panthers (13-8, 11-4 AMCC) Maria Constaza finished with a team-best 18.
Behrend was faced with its biggest obstacle this season, overcoming a 21-point deficit that was incurred to start the second half. The Lions went on a 31-11 run, ending with an Detsch three-pointer to take a 42-40 lead with 4:56 remaining, a lead Behrend had not seen since the opening basket.
Oldach sunk a pair of free throws for a four-point advantage, before Hollie Rapp cut the lead to two on a layup. Oldach scored the next four points for the Lions while Danielle Zeamer knocked in a jumper for a 48-46 Behrend lead.
Whitney Cline put Pitt-Bradford ahead by one on the next possession with an unconventional three-point play and 44 seconds showing on the clock.
Aly Eagle quickly got down the court and was under the hoop for Oldach's pass and the easy layup to make it 50-49. The Panthers are faced with a one-point deficit, but left it up to Costanza to square up and get the jumper just inside the arc for a 51-50 lead.
The Lions still had time run a final play, but a turnover gave the ball right back to the Pitt-Bradford. A smart foul led to Ashley Seidenstricker's missed free throw and allow Fornari to take a timeout with 4.2 seconds showing. The rest was history.
The Panthers held the Lions to a season-low 11 points in the first half to take an 18-point lead into the locker rooms. Behrend went from shooting 14 percent to 42 percent in the second half.
The Lions return to action on Saturday for their final regular-season home game against Franciscan. Game time is 2 p.m.
