FREDONIA, NY – The Fredonia State women's basketball team erased a 17-point second-half deficit to come back and defeat Penn State Behrend 69-67 in overtime in non-conference action on Saturday afternoon.
Nicole Calbi drained two free throws with six seconds left in regulation and the Blue Devils (3-2) took their first lead since the first half in overtime to hold on for the win, handing the Lions (3-1) their first loss of the season.
Becky Hebert led Fredonia St. with 22 points and Liz Wierbinski contributed 18 points to go with a game-high 14 rebounds.
For Behrend, senior guard Brittany Wilwohl (Erie, PA/Villa Maria Academy) had her best game yet with 27 points, five assists and four steals. Julia Myers (Edinboro, PA/General McLane) and Holly Bourquin (Pittsburgh, PA/Fox Chapel) each recorded a double-double. Myers went for 14 points and 10 boards, while Bourquin tallied 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Lions won the battle in the first half, taking a 33-27 at intermission. The lead would continue to grow the moment the second stanza started thanks to five straight points from Wilwohl and four more by Bourquin. A Myer's layup gave Behrend its largest lead at 44-27 with 16 minutes left to play.
The double-digit lead for the Lions held up until the 5:26 mark. The Blue Devils went on a 16-2 run over an eight-minute span to get within one point at 54-53. Behrend went scoreless for nearly three minutes until Wilwohl hit the back end of two shots from the line with 1:21 on the clock, but Calbi connected with the game-tying free throws to force the extra period.
Hebert's layup to start overtime gave Fredonia State its first lead since the 8:46 mark of the opening half. The Blue Devils shot 6-for-8 from the field in the overtime to come away with the win.
Neither team would have an easy time from beyond the arc on the day. The Lions went 5-for-22 and Fredonia State was 0-for-7 from three-point range.
Behrend returns to action on Wednesday against Medaille at the Junker Center. Game time is 8 p.m.
