SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – The Concord University women's basketball team lost to Notre Dame, 82-76, in overtime Wednesday night in a Mountain East Conference contest inside Murphy Gymnasium.
Concord (11-7, 8-5 MEC) started fast and opened up a 24-13 lead after the first quarter on the strength of eight points apiece from sophomore guard
Maggie Guynn and junior
Riley Fitzwater. However, NDC (17-2, 11-2 MEC) held the Mountain Lions to 11 points in the second quarter as CU took a 35-30 lead into halftime.
Notre Dame outscored Concord 12-7 over the first five minutes of the third quarter to tie the game, and from there neither led by more than five points for the remainder of regulation. Freshman guard
Jazz Blankenship sparked the offense in closing stages of the third quarter and early parts of the fourth.
The Lester, West Virginia native hit three three-pointers in a 3:04 span of the second half with the third one giving the Mountain Lions a 55-50 lead with 8:33 remaining in the contest. Starting with NDC holding a 56-55 lead, the lead changed hands six times and was tied twice over the final 5:22 of the fourth quarter.
Fitzwater scored seven of the final eight points in the fourth quarter for Concord including making a free throw with 10 seconds left to push CU in front 69-67. However, Notre Dame's Jada Marone calmly made two free throws with four seconds left to force the extra session.
Both teams went cold from the field in overtime as the Mountain Lions still held a 74-73 edge with 1:36 remaining, but the Falcons scored on consecutive trips to take a 77-74 advantage on their way to the six-point win.
Fitzwater finished with 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting, 14 rebounds and six blocks. Guynn added 17 points off the bench on 6-for-10 shooting. Senior forward
Madison May recorded 14 points, including her 1,500 career point midway through the second quarter.
By scoring 11 points in the second half, Blankenship set a career high with 13 points.
CU shot 49.2 percent (29-for-59) from the floor, but had 25 turnovers.
Concord plays Urbana at the Carter Center 2:00 p.m. Saturday.
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