Saints Nearly Complete 19-Point Comeback, Fall in Overtime 74-73 vs. Case Western

BAYAMON, Puerto Rico – The Emmanuel Saints women's basketball program nearly erased a 19-point, third-quarter deficit, but were unable to complete the comeback following a one-point overtime loss, 74-73, to the Case Western Reserve Spartans on Wednesday afternoon in the 2023 Puerto Rico Clasico, concluding the 2023 portion of the Emmanuel schedule.

The Saints drop to 4-6 following the overtime defeat while the Spartans move to 6-4. Case Western Reserve picks up the victory in their second-consecutive one-point game. Prior to their games in Puerto Rico, the Spartans fell to Denison University, 52-51, on Dec. 9.

Trailing by three with 7.5 seconds remaining in overtime, Saints junior Paris Atuahene (Phoenix, Ariz.) nearly stole the victory for Emmanuel. Atuahene knocked down a pair of free throws, bringing the Saints to within one.

After a Case Western Reserve timeout and advance to half court, the Saints defense forced a turnover, giving Atuahene a chance as time expired. The junior guard got the final shot off from 15 feet as the horn rang, but the attempt was off the mark, giving the Spartans a 74-73 win.

Case Western Reserve expanded on their halftime lead, opening the third quarter with five straight points for their largest lead of the afternoon, 37-18, with 7:56 remaining in the quarter.

The Saints chipped away at the 19-point deficit, embarking on their first major run of the game, a 20-5 spurt over a 4:45 span, getting back into the game and trailing 42-38. CWRU pushed back, scoring 10 of the final 15 points of the third quarter to lead 52-43 with 10 minutes to go.

Emmanuel and Case Western traded runs to start the fourth quarter with the Saints using a 9-1 spree to cut the deficit to a point. The Spartans answered back immediately with seven straight points to hold a 60-52 edge with 5:40 remaining.

The Saints finally managed to tie the game in the final two minutes with the help of first-year Meagan Schuermann (Cooperstown, N.Y.) using a three-point play with 1:21 to go to make it 64-64.

Both teams had opportunities in the final seconds, including a pair of foul shots for Spartans graduate student Kate Montgomery (Scituate, Mass.). But, the veteran forward missed the pair of shots to give her team the lead, as Wednesday's game needed overtime to decide a winner.

The Spartans built that 19-point lead thanks to a strong second quarter which included a 12-2 run that helped CWRU to a double-digit advantage and a lead that would hold until halftime at 32-18.

Spartans senior Sarah Mitchell (Lone Tree, Colo.) had a team-high 16 points to go with five rebounds and five assists. Graduate Morgan Micallef (Spring Lake, N.J.) added 15 points and three steals in 24 minutes off the bench.

Saints senior Olivia Matela (Swampscott, Mass.) finished with a game-high 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor. Atuahene added 15 points, including 10-for-12 from the foul line. Senior Shakirah Ketant (Easton, Mass.) chipped in with 10 points off the bench.

The Saints return to play in the new year, heading to Lasell University on Wednesday, Jan. 10, for a 5:30 p.m. game with the Lasers. The Spartans wrap up their time at the Puerto Rico Clasico with a game vs. Norwich on Dec. 21 at 11:00 a.m.