NEW PALTZ, NY — Trailing by nine in the SUNYAC semifinals with 1:10 remaining in regulation, sophomore Kristen Caban made a three pointer to cut the lead to six at 62-56. Brockport then turned the ball over and senior Amber Sohns made a lay-up with 51 ticks left to cut the deficit to four. Caban stole the ball at 38 second and hit a three pointer to cut the lead to one at 62-61. New Paltz immediately fouled to test the Golden Eagles free throw shooting. Making only one of two, for the two point lead, the Golden Eagles needed a stop. But Sohns drove the lane and hit a lay-up with 11 seconds left to send the game to overtime.
In the extra session, the Hawks were outscored 11-5 for the 76-68 final. Brockport’s Ashley Broadhurst sank 6-8 free throws in the final 17 seconds to seal the win for the Golden Eagles. The fourth seeded Hawks complete their season at 19-8, while first seed Brockport advances to 23-4 and will face #2 Cortland in the SUNYAC Championship on Saturday.
Brockport opened the game with an 11-0 run and lead by as many as 16 at 26-10 with under seven minutes to go in the first half. New Paltz trailed by 11 at the half and opened the second stanza with a 15-6 run to trail by three with 13:49 remaining. Brockport responded with a 9-2 run for a double digit lead at 10:08 and led by eight with 1:48 remaining, before the Hawks battled back to force the overtime.
First year Artie Williams led the Hawks with a double-double of 21 points and a career high 21 rebounds on her way to earning All-Tournament honors. Caban and Sohns each finished with 13 points and Nicole Sarcone handed out five assists. The Hawks forced 21 Brockport turnovers but lost the rebound battle 55-46 and were outshot 36.7% to 28.6%.
