The Arlington Baptist University women’s basketball team took on #1 ranked Champion Christian College out of Hot Springs, Arkansas on Friday. ABU was looking to avenge their 9-point loss just one week prior.
The entire game was filled with intensity. These two talented teams battled back and forth with Champion taking an 8-point lead going into halftime. The Lady Patriots fought back in the 3rd quarter, causing several turnovers with their tough defense. They outscored the Tigers by 8 in the 3rd quarter and tied the 4th quarter causing the first overtime.
With less than a minute left in the first overtime, Champion took a 3-point lead, and the Lady Patriots were forced to put them on the free throw line. Champion hit 1 of 2 free throws to put them up by 4. The Lady Patriots then got the ball back on their end and Haley Herrin sunk a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the deficit to 1 point. Champion then advanced the ball after a timeout and ABU was forced to foul again, and Champion hit both free throws putting ABU back down by 3 with 14.1 seconds to go. The Lady Patriots then answered with a corner 3-pointer, this time by Jakayla Bradford. However, Bradford then committed a foul and put Champion on the line once again, where they hit 1 of 2 free throws. After another ABU timeout, Da’Myia Derby drove to the basket and took a hard foul to send her to the free throw line, where she hit 1 of 2 free throws to tie the score and send the game into a second overtime.
Buckets were traded between the two teams in double overtime, and ABU took a 1-point lead with less than a minute left. However, a lapse on defense caused Champion to get an open layup, putting the Tigers up by 1 with 39.5 seconds left. The Lady Patriots were then unable to score and were forced to put Champion back on the free throw line to put the game away. The final score of this double overtime thriller was ABU 92 – CCC 95.
Da’Myia Derby led the Lady Patriots in scoring with 22 points. Four other Lady Patriots scored in double figures as well: Jakayla Bradford (18), Haley Herrin (17), Heaven Scott (14), and Alyssa Prier (11). Prier also led ABU in rebounds with 9.
The Lady Patriots will continue Southwest Region play this week against Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas on Tuesday. They will then be back on their home court to take on Randall University on Friday. GO LADY PATRIOTS!