PRESCOTT, Ariz. – In its first year back at Yavapai College in over a decade, the Yavapai College women's basketball team made sure the home crowd went home happy on Tuesday night as it defeated the Phoenix College Bears 80-78 in overtime to cap off its first season of reinstatement. Overall, the Roughriders finished 11-17 and 8-14 in conference play.
Freshman guard Saydee Allred led the Roughriders in scoring on Tuesday night with 34 points, 27 of which came on nine three pointers. It's the second time that Allred has achieved the feat this season and it ties the YC single-game record for made three pointers held by Allred and Courtney Ault.
"What a way to end the season," said Allred after the game. "An overtime win in front of a loud and crazy hometown crowd. We came up with some big stops and big buckets and left it all on the court."
Allred went ballistic to start Tuesday night's contest as she had 14 points and four made three pointers in the first five minutes of the game to power the Roughriders to an early 14-11 lead.
The Bears, however, were not interested in letting the Roughriders run away with the contest and while Allred added one more from downtown in the first, Phoenix trailed by just one (25-24) after 10 minutes played.
If Allred took on the heroic role of Batman on Tuesday night, then freshman guard Hollie Dalton filled the role of Robin as she shot lights out with her work starting in the second quarter.
Dalton buried a three to begin the period and wound up scoring seven of the Roughriders 17 points in the second quarter to help lead YC to a 42-33 lead at the half.
After the break, the duo knocked down consecutive jump shots to open up a 13-point Yavapai lead with the score at 46-33.
From there, the Bears began to claw back and outscored YC 16-12 in the third quarter to bring their deficit to just six heading into the fourth quarter.
After Allred hit a three to begin the fourth and give the Roughriders a 57-49 lead, Phoenix went on an 11-3 run to tie the ballgame up at 60-60 with just under five minutes left to play.
The teams traded baskets after the big run from the Bears, however, Phoenix appeared poised to take home the win after taking a 68-64 lead into the final minute of play.
On the next Roughrider possession, however, Allred proved that she could shoot the three-point ball from anywhere as she dribbled to her right and threw up an awkward shot with a defender in her face that banked in and cut the deficit to just 68-67.
After a defensive stop from the Roughriders on the next series, the Bears, clinging onto a one-point lead, committed the cardinal sin and left Allred open from beyond the arc. The freshman promptly received a cross-court pass from freshman guard Brooklyn Wiltbank and swished her ninth three pointer of the game to give the Roughriders a 70-68 lead.
The seesaw battle was not over after Allred's heroics, however, as Phoenix knotted the score up on its next offensive possession to send the game into overtime, tied at 70-70.
In the extra period, it was Dalton's time to shine as she knocked down a jumper to start things off and give the Roughriders a 72-70 lead. Later in overtime, Dalton knocked down another jumper, despite being fouled on the play, to give YC a 77-73 lead with 1:25 to play.
Now leading 77-75 with just under a minute to play, Dalton put the icing on the cake with a three-point ball to give the Roughriders an 80-75 lead while bringing her point total to 22 on the night.
After the clutch three from Dalton, the Roughriders were able to hold the Bears off in the final seconds to walk away with the wild 80-78 victory.
In addition to Allred's 34 and Dalton's 22, Wiltbank also tallied double-digit points with 12 on the night.
– D.J. Irwin
