By: Vinnie Birk - Blackburn College Sports Information
The Blackburn College Women's Basketball Team celebrated Senior Day on Saturday afternoon as they hosted the Panthers of Greenville College. Shelby Smith (Jerseyville, Ill.) and Charitie Goodman (Pittsburg, Mo.) were the lone two seniors for the Beavers. The game was a wild one and ended with Blackburn on the losing side of a 74-70 overtime thriller.
The Beavers kept a lead for most of the game with a high of nine points just before the end of the first half. Greenville knocked down three free throws to bring the game within six at 32-26 at the intermission.
The lead held steady for most of the second half until Greenville went on a push late. An 8-0 run tied the game at 51 with just under six minutes to play. They gained their first lead of the game on two good free throws with 4:04 remaining. A few minutes later with Blackburn down by three, senior Shelby Smith cashed in a three-pointer to tie it.
After a Blackburn stop on defense, Smith hit another three in the corner to regain the lead with :48 to play. The teams exchanged two good free throws each before Greenville's Emily Gundy hit her only shot of the game with :05 left. Gundy was 1-12 from the field but her only made basket was certainly clutch.
In overtime, the Panthers came out without looking back. A few good buckets and they were up six. They held on to win 74-70 and burned Blackburn's chances at winning three straight.
The two seniors fared pretty well on their special day. Goodman tied a career high with seven rebounds while also adding six points. Smith had 23 points which was tied for a game high. This marked the fifth straight game that Smith scored double-digits. She also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out a game high four assists.
Briana Rae (Staunton, Ill.) posted another double-double with 13 boards and 11 points. Ciara Morgan (Springfield, Ill.) had 10 of each to also earn a double-double. Freshman Andie Marvel (Springfield, Ill.) played a career high 31 minutes while scoring a career high 12 points. She was 4-10 from beyond the arc.
A big story in the game was Greenville's Coley Baker. Baker had a triple-double with 15 rebounds, 14 points, and a whopping 18 blocks. The 18 blocks shattered a previous SLIAC record set in 2011 of 11 in a game. Claire Schmitt tied Smith with a game high 23 points.
Blackburn is now 5-15 on the year and 4-9 in conference. They will travel to Louisville on Monday to take on Spalding University before returning to Carlinville on Wednesday. The game against Fontbonne on Wednesday will be the last home game of the year. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 P.M.