Freshman Audrey Craffey (photo by Ron Szot)
In what was a must win to stay alive in the SUNYAC playoff hunt for the Fredonia State women's basketball team, the Devils came back to pull off a thrilling 75-74 victory over Oswego on Saturday.
Down 74-72, freshman Audrey Craffey nailed a three-point basket with 1:15 left to play that proved to be the game winner. Oswego had one last gasp in the closing seconds as a layup by Sidney Eure rolled off the rim to end the game.
Katie Pitcher finished with 20 points to pace the Devil offense and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Lauren Mickley finished with 14 points, while Rae White had 12 points and five assists. Craffey finished with 10 points.
Fredonia State took and early 8-3 lead before Oswego went on a 10-0 run. The Lakers would lead 16-11 at the end of one quarter.
The second quarter proved to be high scoring, with the Lakers outscoring Fredonia State, 25-20. There would be a couple of early lead changes before Oswego ended the half with a 10-point lead, 41-31.
The Lakers got to the line 15 times in the first half, draining 11 of their attempts, while the Devils got to the line only two times.
Raiven Encarnacion had 14 first half points for the Lakers. Pitcher led Fredonia State's offense with six first-half points.
In the third quarter, the momentum shifted Fredonia State's way. After a three pointer by Oswego's Lindsey Zimmerman put the Lakers up 51-40, the Devils went on a 12-1 run to tie the game at 52 all. The run was capped by a contested, floating layup in traffic by White.
Oswego regained its composure and would come back to lead 59-54 at the end of three.
The Devils came out strong in the fourth with a 12-2 run. Mickley got things started by scoring seven points during that spurt. The Devils found themselves ahead, 68-61, with just over six minutes left to play.
Oswego did not give in, as there would be three more lead changes.
Oswego would eventually lead 74-70 after a three pointer by Encarnacion with just under three minutes to play. That basket capped a 13-2 run by the Lakers.
A jumper by Pitcher made it a one-point game, then Craffey nailed her big three with 1:15 showing on the clock. A couple of defensive stops later, and the players stormed the court at the buzzer.
The Devils now stand at 3-8 in the SUNYAC, one win ahead of the 2-9 Lakers. The Devils also claimed the season sweep, having beaten Oswego back on Jan. 10 to give them the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Encarnacion led the Lakers with 25 points, and Zimmerman had 16. They fall to 6-11 overall.
Fredonia State, 7-11 overall, is back home on Tuesday vs. Brockport when they play the last of their four consecutive home games.
