Rough edges and all, Shepherd will take it; edging Charleston
SHEPHERDSTOWN— After a first half replete with rim-rattling shots that caromed away to rebounders and more and more turnovers, deflected passes, and botched dribbles, Shepherd and Charleston had combined for only
Emily Daniel (11) gets past the front line of West Virginia State’s fullcourt press.
43 points.
The second half had to have fewer snarls, splintered edges, and turnovers. But it didn’t.
There were nearly as many missed shots . . . and just as many muffed passes, fumbled dribbles, and turnovers to justify the low-scoring, 52-50, win the Lady Rams claimed in the last five minutes.
It was Shepherd that finally found enough points to frustrate the Golden Eagles. When trailing, 49-42 with just 4:32 to play, Shepherd managed to score 10 of the game’s last 11 points to steal off into the dank night with a West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win.
Alex Tamez (3-for-8 from the field, five turnovers, and wavering defense — all in eight minutes of playing time) made a layup and Jenn Prine was true on two free throws as Shepherd crept quietly to within 49-46.
Reminiscent of the few-shots-would-fall first half, neither team could score for over a minute. It had been two minutes since Charleston had scored. Lauren Davis gave Charleston a free throw and a miss making it a four-point game.
Gabby Flinchum was accurate on a short jumper, and Shepherd was within two points of the jello-like Charleston lead. Katie Biggs made the first of two free throws . . . and when Flinchum rebounded Biggs’ miss and her own off-line attempt she scored and was fouled. Flinchum’s free throw had Shepherd in front, 52-50, with 1:15 remaining.
Those last 75 seconds were no different that all the other mostly fruitless minutes. After Lauren Davis misfired for Charleston, Flinchum blocked an attempt and in the blink of an eye Charleston’s Chrissy Keir had a turnover.
The crowd of about 275 watched a blur of misfortune on both sides in the final 38 seconds.
Shepherd’s Tamaz committed her fifth turnover. Charleston signaled for its last timeout with 14 seconds showing.
Keir missed another short but contested jumper. Tiffany Scott rebounded for the desperate Golden Eagles. Marilene Lapierre failed on her inside shot and the loose ball sailed out of bounds with four-tenths of a second left.
The uncooperative basketball was still in Charleston’s possession. A pass went near the rim. But Shepherd’s Flinchum made another interception to end the trouble-filled game.
Shepherd (10-9 overall and 7-6 in the league) had won with its 24 turnovers (as opposed to Charleston’s 25 turnovers), its 32.2 shooting percentage from the floor and 27.8 field goal percentage from three-point distance. Charleston (9-9 overall and 8-6 in the conference) had lost with its 36.5 shooting percentage, its three-rebound deficit, and its paltry seven assists.
Rough edges and splinters were the symbols of Shepherd’s win that nudged it over the break-even mark.
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