Nov. 28, 2011
Box Score
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Behind a 20-point effort from senior guard Dominique Conners and a career-high 17-point performance from sophomore guard Amy Kame, the University of San Diego women's basketball team was able to outlast Colgate University, 75-73, in overtime Monday evening at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
With time running out in the extra period and the Toreros (4-1)) trailing by one, USD looked to its senior point guard for some help, and she delivered. Conners drove in the lane and pulled up for a jumper, only to get fouled by Kelly Korkowski to put Conners at the line. The Oceanside, Calif. native was calm, cool and collected as she hit a pair of free throws to give the Toreros a one-point lead at 74-73 with :35 seconds left. USD's defense then forced a turnover, Morgan Woodrowwas then fouled with two seconds left, and she hit one of two free throws to put the game at its final of 75-73.
Conners scored her team-best 20 points on 5-for-15 shooting from the field, while just missing a double-double with nine rebounds. Kame was almost unstoppable as she scored her 17 points on 8-for-17 shooting, while racking up seven rebounds and dishing out four assists. Woodrow was the final USD player in double figures as she recorded 13 points on 5-for-12 shooting. As a team, the Toreros shot .359 from the floor, and out rebounded the Raiders 52-44.
In the first half, San Diego came out fire as they opened up the game on a 19-6 run over the first six minutes of action and it appeared that another USD blowout was in the works. However, the Raiders (0-8) had other ideas, as they put together a 9-0 run to pull back to within four at 19-15 with 11:47 to go in the half. A pair of Kameron Knutsonfree throws than sparked a 9-2 Torero run that was bookended on a Conners jumper to give San Diego back the momentum and a 9-point edge at 26-17 with 7:51 to go. San Diego was then able to withstand a few little Colgate runs and held on to go into the break up seven at 40-33.
In the second half, the Raiders began to slowly chip away the the USD lead and managed to claw their way back to within one at 52-51 on a Mariah Jones 3-pointer with 14:16 to play. The two teams then sea sawed back and forth for the next five minutes before the Raiders took their first lead of the half at 60-59 on a Korkowski lay-up with 9:20 to play. That lead was short lived, as two separate free-throws from Kame gave USD back the lead at 62-61 with 7:09 to play. The Raiders kept things close and eventually tied things up at 66-all on a Jhzmine Lynch lay-up with just 32 seconds left. After USD turned over the ball, Lynch found herself with a last second shot attempt that fell short, forcing the game into overtime.
In the extra period, the Raiders jumped out to a 3-point lead on a Tricia Oakes lay-up at 73-70 with 2:54 to go. USD then began to grind things out and managed to pull back to within one at 72-73 on a Conners lay-up, which set up for the thrilling finish.
The Toreros will return to action on Thursday when they travel to the East Coast to take on Columbia University in a 4 p.m. (PT) non-conference game in New York, New York.
