Russell 3-Pointer Lifts Drury Past Mount Greylock
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Drury's Alyssa Russell hit a game-winning 3-pointer in the closing seconds Friday night, giving the team its sixth victory of the season with a 53-50 win over the Mount Greylock Mounties.
Russell was the game's leading scorer, with 21 points and three made 3-pointers. Brooke Bishop was the team's other double-digit scorer with 13, while Jacinta Felix was close behind with 7.
Mount Greylock's Charlotte Coody scored 14 points to lead the team, with Molly Sullivan and Madison Powell scoring 13 and 10, respectively.
The Blue Devils started the game on an 11-2 run. The team spent much of the first quarter running a full-court defense, a strategy they would employ for most of the game.
Despite the early deficit, the Mounties quickly found a way back into the game with multiple forced turnovers and stops, tying the score at 11 to end the first quarter.
Mount Greylock would take its first lead early in the second, taking a 15-13 lead in the first two minutes. After several back-and-forth possessions with baskets on either side, a free throw extended the lead to 16-13 for the Mounties with just 3:30 left before halftime.
Despite defensive pressure and getting to the line several times, the Mounties struggled to hit free throws, missing 15 throughout the game. Drury missed eight free throws.
After the scoring drought for both teams, the offense picked up in the final three minutes. Mount Greylock maintained its 3-point lead with a 24-21 score heading into the second half.
Drury cut the lead to one just three minutes into the third quarter, with Felix converting on an and-one on the following possession to take a 32-28 lead. Despite multiple lead changes, neither team could come out ahead, leaving a 41-41 tie headed into the final quarter.
A quick basket to start the fourth would give Drury a six-point lead, the largest lead of the game for either team. Both teams traded baskets for much of the quarter, with Drury maintaining full-court defensive pressure.
With two minutes left, Drury held a 49-48 lead, which they quickly doubled with a single made free-throw. Neither team would score a field goal for the next two minutes until two free throws from Coody tied the game at 50 with just five seconds left.
“I told the girls in the timeout [after the first free throw] that we were just going to run our transition offense,” Drury coach Ian Downey said. “Charlotte [Coody] made the shot, I elected not to call timeout. Brooke Bishop grabbed the ball, inbounded to Jacinta Felix, who pushed it up the floor and got it to Lauren Davis on the wing who made the unselfish pass to Alyssa Russell in the corner.”
Russell drained her third triple of the game to give the Blue Devils the win.
With the home win, Drury sits at an even 6-6 record heading into a road game against Lenox on Jan. 30. The Mounties fall to 4-8 with the loss, with a home game to play against Monson on Jan. 31.