Stephan Teodosescu
stephteodosescu.md@gmail.com
After the final horn sounded, a celebration normally reserved for upsets in March broke out at mid-court as the Cal Poly women’s basketball team stormed onto the floor following a 96-95 triple overtime victory against Pacific in Mott Gym Saturday afternoon.
Senior forward Brittany Woodard lagged behind in joining the celebration, though, sporting crutches and an expression of dismay on her face as the rest of her team jumped up and down in elation.
In a scary moment midway through the first half she visibly injured her right knee trying to avoid a defender on a fast break attempt to the basket. Woodard was shaken up and carried off with the help of the Cal Poly training staff.
As Cal Poly’s second-leading scorer lay on the court clasping her knee, the Mustangs huddled together on the sideline and decided to play the game in dedication of their injured teammate.
“We wanted to do it for Brittany because we know how hard she works,” junior guard Jonae Ervin said. “She is very contagious when she’s on the court and she helps us play harder.”
Indeed the Mustangs (9-6, 3-1 Big West) played hard, grinding out a win against the conference’s top-ranked team in the program’s first-ever taste of triple overtime.
With eight seconds left in the third overtime period and the Mustangs down by a single point, Ervin was fouled on a drive to the bucket. She sank both ensuing free throws and after a botched possession by Pacific (12-3, 2-1) with two seconds left she erupted in celebration along with her teammates on the sidelines.
“It was all in my mind like, ‘I have to do it for them,’” Ervin said. “We came this far in the game. We got to win this. That’s what helped me step up to the line and make the free throws.”
An adventure in overtime was less than probable at halftime, though, as the Mustangs had a 18-point advantage heading into the locker room. Cal Poly scored a season-high 49 points in the first frame using six steals and 54 percent shooting from the field to lead Pacific 49-31.
Kayla Griffin’s steal with 3:23 to go in the half spurred a fast break play in which senior guard Caroline Reeves converted a layup and the ensuing free throw for a three-point play to help the Mustangs break out to their halftime advantage.
But the Tigers battled back showing their range from downtown early in the second half eventually tying the game at 65 with 4:02 left to play.
From there, 12 lead changes marked a back-and-forth affair until Ervin iced the game with her two charity shots in the fifth and final period.
“She was big time clutch as far as hitting those free throws tonight,” head coach Faith Mimnaugh said. “We trusted her and we wanted to put the ball in her hands.”
As the Tigers defense softened in the low post late in the second half junior center Molly Schlemer found the ball in her hands as well. She poured in a career-high 28 points on 13 of 17 shooting before fouling out in the first overtime period.
With the help of Schlemer, the Mustangs shot 49 percent from the field for the entire game.
“There was a lot of motivation,” Schlemer said. “Pacific was ranked really high in the rankings for the Big West and people didn’t really look at us as a threat. So, I wanted to let them know how we played.”
With the victory, the Mustangs have now won 11 straight matchups against Pacific and stopped the Tigers’ five-game winning streak heading into Saturday’s matchup.
Reeves was Cal Poly’s second-leading scorer in the game slotting home 16 points and sophomore guard Ariana Elegado scored 15 in 44 minutes of play. Senior Kayla Griffin scored eight and grabbed 13 boards in a 50-minute performance.
For Pacific, guard Ashley Wakefield scored a team-high 23 points and forward Kendall Kenyon battled Schlemer down low to the tune 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Mimnaugh speculated a torn MCL to Woodard’s knee as she will have an MRI to confirm. Nevertheless, Mimnaugh was excited about the Mustangs’ third straight victory in conference play.
“I think we treated the fans to one of the best games that anyone has seen in Mott Gym,” she said.