ALBANY, Oregon - With only three seconds on the clock, the Lakers inbounded to guard Raegan Bruner at half court who drove quickly to the basket and was met in the paint by Linn-Benton Freshman Forward Natalia McBride. The ball sailed over Mcbride’s outstretched arms and loud cheers of relief filled the gym as the unsuccessful shot bounced off the back rim.
The final buzzer went off and secured the 52-51 win for the Roadrunners.
Natalia McBride led the Linn-Benton women's basketball team with a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double in a hard-fought victory over the Southwestern Oregon Community College Lakers on Wednesday, Feb. 7.
The teams went back and forth right away with four lead changes in the first quarter, which ended with LB up 15-8. The Roadrunners set the tone defensively and collected four of their seven steals in the first quarter.
SWOCC came back firing in the second quarter and took the lead 20-17 by the middle of the quarter before the Roadrunners went on an 8-3 run and closed out the half leading 25-23.
LB held strong and didn't give up the lead once in the third quarter by pushing the pace, outscoring the Lakers 17-13 and winning the rebound battle 8-4 in the quarter.
Coming into the final quarter, LB was up 42-36. The Lakers came back and stayed within three points before taking the lead 47-46 with 3:22 left to go.
With one minute remaining, two huge free throws by Linn-Benton freshman Katelynn Weaver put the Roadrunners back on top. Freshman BettyAnn Wilson then secured another two free throws, giving LB the lead 52-49 with 12 seconds left to play.
The Lakers then brought it down quickly and put up a three-pointer. The ball bounced off the front rim and was rebounded by LB, which led to a wild scramble. Two whistles blew simultaneously, one signaling a foul on SWOCC the other a timeout for LBCC.
The teams were separated while the referees convened at the scorers’ table. The gym went silent in confusion before erupting into boos as SWOCC appeared to be awarded two technical foul free throws.
SWOCC forward Skylar Willey made both of her attempts, making the score 51-52. The crowd's disapproving cheers were then interrupted by the ball being given to LBCC freshman Katelynn Weaver. Weaver missed both of her penalty shots, but were not needed as the Roadrunners late defensive effort secured the victory.
After the game, Assistant Coach Carsyn Meyers said, “We didn’t have to make any adjustments, our players are the ones that have to go make the plays. As a coaching staff we trust them and they were able to prove that tonight down the stretch.”
The team has now won three straight games, this one coming off of a huge upset against the number one-ranked Umpqua Community College.
With the win the Roadrunners move to 12-5 overall on the season and 4-3 in conference play.
SWOCC’s record moves to 6-14, 2-9.
The Roadrunners will play again on Saturday, Feb. 10, at home against Mt. Hood Community College in the Linn-Benton Activities Center at 2 p.m.
At a Glance:
What: LBCC Women's basketball game VS SWOCC
When: Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024
Where: Linn Benton Community College Activities Center
What’s Next: Game vs Mt. Hood Community College
Website: https://athletics.linnbenton.edu/sports/wbkb/2023-24/schedule
For More Information: https://athletics.linnbenton.edu/sports/wbkb/2023-24/boxscores/20240207_dc7h.xml?view=boxscore
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