Lady Bears blow big lead, fall hard to Cheyney

Cheyney Wolves 77
Kutztown Golden Bears 66

Recap: Despite leading by double digits throughout a majority of the game, the Golden Bears (9-11, 2-3) collapsed in the final minutes, allowing Cheyney (6-13, 3-3) to erase the deficit and steal the victory in overtime.

Telling Stat: Despite shooting almost 64 percent in the first half and just under 41 percent in the second half, the Golden Bears made just one of their 12 shots in overtime. Coupled with 42 points allowed on 35 turnovers, it’s no wonder they failed to hold on for the win. Cheyney also registered a whopping 22 offensive rebounds.

Key play: Cheyney’s Stephanie Orgi hit what, at the time, seemed like a meaningless three point bucket from just across half court as time expired in the first half. The acrobatic play cut the Wolves’ deficit to 10 at the half and, without those three points, they would’ve been three points short of forcing overtime.

Most Valuable Golden Bear: Freshman forward Melissa McQuade played all 45 minutes of the game and was responsible for much of the team’s first half scoring success. McQuade was three assists away from a triple-double, scoring 14 points, grabbing 17 rebounds, and dishing out 7 assists.

Least Valuable Golden Bear: Despite an outstanding gameplan early in the game (using a tight zone defense to force Cheyney to resort to jump shots), head coach Janet Malouf failed to adjust in the second half and in overtime. Cheyney eventually broke down the KU defense and completely shut down the Golden Bear offense in overtime. Malouf’s biggest mistake was wearing down McQuade by leaving the freshman on the court for the entire game, an exhausting 45 minutes. Another costly mistake was not allowing leading-scorer Rachel Weidensaul more than 19 minutes of work. Weidensaul had her problems from the floor, shooting just 1-of-6 and committing 4 turnovers. However, she provided 4 assists, a block, and a steal. Had she played more in the second half and overtime, KU had a much better chance of winning the game.

Impact: Cheyney’s first win over KU in its last 33 tries was a big one as it allows the Wolves to leapfrog the Golden Bears for the three seed in the race for the PSAC playoffs. KU falls to a tie with Wednesday’s opponent, ESU, for the fourth and final postseason berth.

Since this "Superbowl" thing is starting soon, I will hold off on the men's recap until Monday. Until then, boo Eli Manning.