KIRKLAND, Wash. – Clutch free throws by
Sara Muehlhausen were the difference in LC State Women's Basketball's victory over the Northwest University Eagles on the road on Saturday. Trailing 61-58 with a minute to go, the Warrior women battled back to take their fourth straight Cascade Conference game.
Muehlhausen was fouled with just two seconds left to send the junior to the line with the game on the line.
"I was kind of surprised they called the foul at the end," Head Coach
Brian Orr said. "It was a gutsy call that you almost never get, especially on the road. So proud of Sara. She really came through in a big way. I was also really proud of our defensive effort the entire game. Northwest did a good job of attacking our zone in the second half, and we were forced to play defense for long possessions, but we kept working and scrambling. We really played hard. This was the kind of game that will make us better. Definitely a fun one to win."
Stevens opened the LC half of the scoring with a 3 to tie things up early on before converting a steal by
Hannah Broyles into a layup.
Heidi Sellmann, Stevens and
Hannah Broyles combined for an eight-point run to put the Warriors in front 11-7 with 4:03 to play in the frame, and back-to-back buckets by
Ellie Sander and Sellmann made it 16-11. Free throws by Sellmann closed out the first 10 minutes with LC leading 18-15.
A 3-pointer by
Rachel Schroeder kept the momentum going for the Warrior women in the second quarter. Muehlhausen and Sander added fuel to the fire before Stevens drained a 3 to make it a 10-2 run to begin the period. NU crept within two, but a basket by Sellmann kept the margin at four, 30-26, with 2:26 left in the half, and Broyles chipped in one more bucket to send LC into halftime with a 32-30 lead.
Northwest rallied to take a 37-34 lead two minutes into the second half.
Adyson Clabby found the basket to keep the margin small, and a triple by Broyles on an assist from Clabby tied things up 39-39 with 5:30 on the clock. Clabby put the Warriors back in front 30 seconds later, but the Eagles evened things 43-43 with just over two minutes in the quarter. The score sat tied 45-45 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Muehlhausen and Stevens went back-to-back to give LC a 49-45 advantage to start the fourth quarter, but a run by NU put the Eagles ahead 53-49 with 6:15 to play. The Warriors kept pace with baskets by
Mataya Green and Sellmann to knot the score 53-53 before Northwest took a 61-58 lead with 1:04 left in the game.
A basket by Stevens with four seconds to play brought LC within one, 61-60, before a foul on Northwest sent Muehlhausen to the line for the game-winning free throws. With two seconds left, the junior drained both to put the Warriors on top before the defense did the rest to close out the game with a 62-61 lead.
Stevens led LC with 18 points in the contest, and Sellmann notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Muehlhausen added 10 points and blocked two shots.
The Warriors travel to Portland next weekend to take on Multnomah and Warner Pacific. Links to live coverage can be found at lcwarriors.com. Refer to the host school websites for fan attendance policies.
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