ALBANY – The College of Saint Rose had its three-game win streak snapped with a 69-67 overtime loss to visiting Northeast-10 Conference rival Southern Connecticut State this afternoon. The game contained 12 ties and 14 lead changes. However, the Golden Knights (14-12/13-8 NE-10) committed four turnovers throughout the extra session and went 2-for-6 from the foul line during the game's final seven minutes.

The result somewhat cast a pall on the “Senior Day” festivities that included a brief pregame ceremony to honor guards Elizabeth Buckley and Jenna Hughes who played their final regular-season home game today.

As for the contest itself, sophomore guards Ola Shajuyigbe and Ashley Rath paced Saint Rose with 19 and 16 points respectively. Meanwhile, sophomore forward Ali Johnson recorded her fourth “double-double” of the year behind 11 points and 10 rebounds to go with four blocks.

Shajuyigbe scored four straight points to afford the Golden Knights a 64-63 lead with 1:20 remaining in overtime. Southern Connecticut State senior forward Jacqueline Johannes then drained a jumper and junior guard Logan Lentz hit a pair from the foul line following a Saint Rose miscue to make it 67-64 Owls with 52 ticks left on the clock.

However, Rath drained a 3-pointer from the right corner at the other end to deadlock the game once again. Senior guard Allyson Smith then finished in the paint to put Southern Connecticut State back up by a pair with 19 seconds left.

The Golden Knights subsequently coughed up the ball on the ensuing possession although they still had life after Lentz missed two chances from the stripe. Shajuyigbe drove baseline out of a timeout, but Johannes came up with a block as the final seconds ran off the clock.

Johannes wound up with 18 points, seven boards and five steals for the Owls (12-14/9-12 NE-10), who put four players in double-figures scoring. Junior center Shelley Pierson had a “double-double” via 15 points and 12 boards, despite playing only 22 minutes due to foul trouble. Smith tossed in 14 and Lentz added 10.

Saint Rose built an eight point, 43-35, lead with 14:02 to go in regulation thanks to an 8-2 run that was capped by a Rath jumper. However, the Owls responded by scoring 12 of the game's next 14 points that put them ahead, 47-45, with 8:13 left.

The contest remained close throughout the remainder of the period and stood deadlocked 59-59 with 1:23 showing on the clock. Southern Connecticut State had a chance to win after Johannes came up with a steal, and then secured a pair of offensive rebounds. However, Johannes missed the front end of a one-and-one, Lentz had her layup roll out, and sophomore guard Alex Fiola's 3-pointer missed the mark. Saint Rose was finally able to gather in a carom with seven seconds showing, but could not manage to get a decent look and thus overtime ensued.

Looking ahead, both teams are scheduled to close out the regular-season portion of their schedule with 5:30 pm conference games on Wednesday. The Golden Knights will head to Syracuse to meet upstate rival Le Moyne, while Southern Connecticut State will host Assumption.

Box Score

Senior Day Photos