CHICAGO – Becky Williford's three-point play with 2.1 seconds remaining in regulation helped the Roosevelt women's basketball team weather visiting Indiana South Bend's furious second-half rally from 20 points down in the Lakers' thrilling 59-58 victory at the Goodman Center on Saturday.
Williford led all scorers with 19 points for Roosevelt (6-4, 2-3 CCAC), and her three most critical points came when the Lakers needed them most in the game's final seconds.
With Roosevelt down two, Williford drove to the basket and made a lay-in while getting hacked to get to the free throw line with two ticks left.
The senior point guard calmly canned the charity shot for the go-ahead point, and after a timeout called by Indiana South Bend (7-6, 2-3 CCAC), it was fellow senior Erica Jordan denying a post entry from a sideline inbounds pass that eventually sent the loose ball into the hands of Titan player Emily Macellari, who missed her mid-range jump shot attempt as time expired for a heart-pounding ending.
Roosevelt had led by as many as 20 points midway through the third quarter, as Indiana South Bend struggled with protecting possession by committing 13 turnovers through three periods while also struggling from the field thanks to the Lakers' stout defense.
The Titans started to chip away late in the third, and the fourth saw the guests hit big shots, particularly from downtown, to make the game much closer.
Eventually IUSB used a 10-2 run to knot the game, and the Lakers' short-lived reclamation of the advantage was lost when Paige Avery's bucket with five seconds left gave the guests a two-point lead.
That led to Williford's heroics on the other end, as the Lakers came out of a timeout and put the ball in the hands of their senior backcourt captain to do the rest.
Jordan finished the day with 13 points and six rebounds, while Paige Gallimore added 12 points and Jasmine Kyler corralled a team-high nine boards.
Roosevelt takes time away from game action for finals week before heading to Joliet to take on 13th-ranked St. Francis next Saturday, Dec. 12.
