Juniata’s Courtney Callas hit a pair of free throws with 1:05 left in regulation to make it 51-51, and that score would hold up as the game went to overtime. In the extra session, Lebanon Valley (6-10, 3-4 CC) held the Eagles to a pair of free throws and junior guard Jenna Gambino gave LVC the lead for good (52-51) on foul shot 18 seconds into OT. Sophomore forward Megan Bish made it 54-51 on a put-back with 3:57 left.
Senior guard Allie Butler pushed the Valley’s lead to four (55-51) when she hit the first of two foul shots with 2:07 left before Juniata pulled to within three on a Jess Winemiller free throw with 1:51 remaining.
On the ensuing possession, Lebanon Valley missed a pair of free throws, and Mindy Werner made it 55-53 on a foul shot with 1:05 on the clock. The Flying Dutchmen then turned the ball over on an inbounds pass under their own basket, setting up a 3-point attempt from Winemiller with the game clock winding down. The shot was off the mark, but Kelly Rotan rebounded for the Eagles and passed the ball back to Winemiller in the paint. Winemiller put up a shot that hit the bottom of the net, but it did not count as it was taken a second after the buzzer.
Johnson was one of four Dutchmen to reach double figures in scoring. Gambino finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, and five assists while freshman guard Cassie Moore and Bish had 10 points apiece.
Kelly Ashcraft led Juniata (11-7, 2-5 CC) with 15 points while Claudia McDowell posted 12 points and seven assists before fouling out with 4:42 left in overtime. Ali Meckey and Callas added nine points apiece for the Eagles.
Juniata outscored LVC 15-9 to start the game before the Valley scored six straight points to tie the game with 8:14 left in the opening half following a lay-up from Moore. Lebanon Valley took its first lead when junior guard Donna Geiger dropped in a lay-up with 5:26 on the clock, making it 19-17, and the Dutchmen pushed their lead to four (23-19) on a Johnson lay-up with 3:56 to go.
The Eagles reclaimed the lead (24-23) on a pair of Ashcraft free throws with 2:21 left in the first half, but Lebanon Valley scored the final four points of the period and took a 27-24 lead into the locker room.
Lebanon Valley enjoyed its largest lead of the night when Johnson knocked down a jumper with 15:54 left in the second half, giving LVC a 34-28 advantage. A pair of Bish free throws made it 36-30, but that’s when Juniata ran off nine unanswered points. The Eagles led 45-41 with 5:12 left, but LVC answered with a 5-0 spurt on a conventional three-point play from Gambino and a lay-up from Johnson.
Moore put the Valley on top 51-49 when she connected on three straight free throws with 1:21 left after getting fouled on a 3-point attempt from the right baseline, setting up Callas’ game-tying foul shots.
Juniata vs Lebanon Valley At Annville, PA - LVC Gymnasium LEBANON VALLEY 55, JUNIATA 53 JUNIATA (11-7, 2-5 CC) Kelly Ashcraft 5-8 5-6 15; Claudia McDowell 5-12 1-2 12; Ali Meckey 3-6 0-0 9; Courtney Callas 2-3 4-4 9; Jess Winemiller 2-4 1-2 5; Jill Walsh 1-3 0-0 2; Mindy Werner 0-5 1-2 1; Kelly Rotan 0-3 0-0 0; Steph Hatch 0-4 0-0 0; Emily Hauser 0-1 0-0 0; Gina Piccolini 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-49 12-16 53. LEBANON VALLEY (6-10, 3-4 CC) Monica Johnson 6-11 0-0 12; Jenna Gambino 4-9 3-5 11; Cassie Moore 3-10 4-8 10; Megan Bish 4-8 2-2 10; Donna Geiger 2-9 2-2 6; Allie Butler 2-4 1-2 6; Cassandra Martinez 0-1 0-0 0; Amie Bickert 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-52 12-19 55. Juniata....................... 24 27 2 - 53 Lebanon Valley................ 27 24 4 - 55 3-point goals--Juniata 5-19 (Ali Meckey 3-6; Claudia McDowell 1-4; Courtney Callas 1-2; Mindy Werner 0-4; Jill Walsh 0-1; Jess Winemiller 0-2), Lebanon Valley 1-8 (Allie Butler 1-2; Cassie Moore 0-3; Megan Bish 0-2; Donna Geiger 0-1). Fouled out--Juniata-Claudia McDowell, Lebanon Valley-None. Rebounds--Juniata 30 (Kelly Ashcraft 5), Lebanon Valley 36 (Monica Johnson 8). Assists--Juniata 12 (Claudia McDowell 7), Lebanon Valley 11 (Jenna Gambino 5). Total fouls--Juniata 18, Lebanon Valley 17. Technical fouls--Juniata-None, Lebanon Valley-None. A-517