Lebanon Valley (3-5) won for the first time in its last three games while Misericordia (4-4) lost for the first time in its last three contests.
Johnson’s shot came after junior guard Amy Hughes splashed in a three-pointer from the left elbow with 22 seconds left, putting the Cougars in front 43-42. After a timeout, senior guard Allie Butler lobbed a pass inside to Johnson, who took one power dribble into the center of the lane before going straight up for a lay-in. The Cougars had time to get off one more shot, but a Hughes last-second heave from several feet outside the three-point line banged hard off the side of the rim.
Johnson registered her fifth double-double in eight games this season with 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds while Hughes netted 15 points for Misericordia. Butler scored all of her season-high 12 points in the second half while sophomore forward Lacey McGraw had 11 points and eight rebounds for the Cougars. Teammate Ericka Morrison notched eight points and seven rebounds.
Johnson upped her career scoring total to 1,057 points, as she passed Erin Eaby ’05 for fifth on Lebanon Valley’s all-time list.
Lebanon Valley shot 31.1% for the game while Misericordia finished with a 32.1% mark. The difference in the game may have been foul shooting, as LVC connected on 81.3% (13-for-16) of its free throws while the Cougars shot just 33.3% (6-for-18) at the charity stripe.
The two teams traded runs in the early going. After the Cougars scored on both of their first two possessions to take a 4-0 lead, Lebanon Valley ran off the next 11 points to assume an 11-4 lead with 14:12 on the clock. But LVC would struggle offensively over the remainder of the half, scoring just four more points and making only one field goal.
In the meantime, Misericordia used an elongated 10-1 run to forge a 14-12 lead with 4:34 left following a DeGraw lay-up. Johnson tied it up for the Dutchmen with a lay-up of her own at the 2:49 mark, then gave her team a 15-14 halftime lead when she made the second of two free throws with seven ticks showing.
The Cougars tied their biggest lead of the game (21-17) on a Hughes free throw with 16:41 remaining in regulation. But that’s when Lebanon Valley dug in for an 11-2 run over the next 5:28. Butler scored the first eight points during the spurt, which was capped by a conventional three-point play from junior guard Jenna Gambino with 10:40 left, making it 28-23 in favor of LVC.
The Dutchmen pushed their lead to six (32-26) with 5:30 on the clock after a pair of Butler free throws, but Misericordia charged right back when it found its outside shooting touch, as the Cougars made their first two three-pointers of the game over a 1:17 stretch. Freshman guard Vanessa Wright drilled a trey with 3:20 left to cut the lead in half, and Hughes knocked one down from distance to tie the game (35-35) with 2:03 remaining.
Misericordia’s poor free-throw shooting loomed large down the stretch, as the Cougars went 2 for 6 at the line over the remainder of regulation. A Hughes foul shot gave her team a 35-34 lead with 1:34 left before Butler put LVC on top with two free throws with 1:28 to go.
Hughes went 1-for-2 at the line to tie it up again (36-36) with 28 seconds left, but she rebounded her own miss on her second attempt. The Cougars then called a timeout and held for the final shot, but Megan Yhlen’s 12-footer from the right wing was swatted by Johnson just before the horn.
Hughes tied the game for the eighth time (40-40) when she went coast to coast for a lay-up with 1:20 left in overtime. She was fouled on the shot, but she missed the ensuing free throw. Junior guard Donna Geiger knocked down a pair of free throws with 54 seconds left before Hughes’ late trey.
Misericordia vs Lebanon Valley 12-9-06 1:00 p.m. at Annville, PA - LVC Gymnasium At Annville, PA - LVC Gymnasium MISERICORDIA (4-4) Amy Hughes 5-15 3-7 15; Lacey DeGraw 5-9 1-7 11; Ericka Morrison 3-9 2-4 8; Vanessa Wright 2-7 0-0 5; Megan Yhlen 2-9 0-0 4; Dana Hogarth 0-0 0-0 0; Kylie Speigle 0-1 0-0 0; Alyson Kristofik 0-1 0-0 0; Bernadette Guy 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 17-53 6-18 43. LEBANON VALLEY (3-5) Monica Johnson 4-10 5-8 13; Allie Butler 3-8 4-4 12; Donna Geiger 3-10 2-2 8; Cassie Moore 2-6 1-1 6; Jenna Gambino 1-5 1-1 3; Amie Bickert 1-3 0-0 2; Cassandra Martinez 0-3 0-0 0; Jill Ryba 0-0 0-0 0; Julie Adams 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-45 13-16 44. Misericordia.................. 14 22 7 - 43 Lebanon Valley................ 15 21 8 - 44 3-point goals--Misericordia 3-12 (Amy Hughes 2-6; Vanessa Wright 1-3; Megan Yhlen 0-2; Alyson Kristofik 0-1), Lebanon Valley 3-11 (Allie Butler 2-6; Cassie Moore 1-2; Donna Geiger 0-3). Fouled out--Misericordia-None, Lebanon Valley-None. Rebounds--Misericordia 38 (Lacey DeGraw 8), Lebanon Valley 33 (Monica Johnson 12). Assists--Misericordia 11 (Ericka Morrison 3), Lebanon Valley 9 (Jenna Gambino 4). Total fouls--Misericordia 15, Lebanon Valley 15. Technical fouls--Misericordia-None, Lebanon Valley-None. A-217