URBANA, Ohio (courtesy of @UUsports) – The Urbana University women’s basketball team nearly let another one slip out of their grasp on Wednesday night at home. The visiting Oilers from the University of Findlay erased a late 5-point deficit, but Blue Knight Ciara Geiger drilled a step-back three with eight second left to send the game into overtime, where Urbana pulled away to win it 81-77.
Geiger’s three was one of several clutch shots by the Blue Knights down the stretch. Sophomore center Kate Francisco opened the extra frame with back-to-back treys. Geiger followed that with a tough three-point play the old-fashioned way, and Francisco capped the 11-2 Urbana run in overtime with another lay-up on a nifty high-post pass from Andrea Vogel.
Urbana overcame 29 turnovers thanks to advantages of 19-6 on fast breaks, 14-6 on second chance points, and 30-22 on points in the paint. The home team made 4 of 5 shots from the field in overtime to clinch their third victory of the season.
Geiger led all scorers with 22 points on 4 of 10 shooting from behind the arc. Two of her threes came in the final three minutes of regulation, including the step-back bucket with her team behind by three points with eight seconds remaining. The reigning G-MAC Player of the Week also pulled down a career-high 11 boards to go with 5 assists and 4 steals. She played all 45 minutes for the Royal Blue and White. DeVonyea Johnson scored 18 points on 4 of 5 shooting from deep.
Johnson also added 8 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal. Francisco poured in 17, including 15 after the half. She also pulled down 9 boards and swiped 4 steals. Freshman guard Kennedy Boggs chipped in 10 and pulled down two important pressure rebounds in the extra frame. Vogel tallied 9 points, 8 rebounds and she tied her school-record with 8 blocked shots. The 6-2 center also had 4 assists and two steals in 42 minutes of action. Urbana’s five starters combined to score 76 of the team’s 81 points.
Urbana improves to 3-9 with the win, including 2-1 at home this season. Findlay falls to 6-3. The Blue Knights have a 9-day holiday break before returning to action at the Wayne State Holiday Classic on December 28-29.
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