Webb jumper, late stand lead women's basketball to win over Shawnee

MIDWAY, Ky. - Minutes removed from a fiery speech from their head coach, Sereniti Webb and Jermyra Christian responded to help the Midway women's basketball team avoid another fourth-quarter collapse.

Off a timeout, Christian made a great in-bounds pass to Webb, who popped in a go-ahead jump shot with 33 seconds to play, lifting the Eagles to a needed 74-70 win over Shawnee State (Ohio) in River States Conference action Saturday afternoon.

Two days after an 80-73 loss to Point Park, in which the Eagles held an eight-point lead only to be outscored 22-7 in the fourth quarter, history appeared to be repeating itself. Following a 17-0 run in the first quarter, Midway held an uninterrupted lead for more than 28 minutes, even taking a 57-46 advantage into the fourth quarter.

But with 5:09 to play, it was gone, as a string of turnovers and poor shooting led to a 14-2 Bears run, one capped by a Cianna Gloster layup that put Shawnee State ahead 60-59.

As things seemed to be imploding, Eagle coach Kylee Gorby got very animated with her players during a timeout, furiously telling them to ditch the timid play that helped lead to 28 turnovers, seven of which came in the final period.

They seemed to respond. Down three with under three minutes to play, Jaiden Douthit and Alyssa Hitch made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to give the Eagles a 69-66 lead.

Shawnee State answered with four straight points, but a well-designed in-bounds play off a timeout got Webb free. Normally known for her low-post play, the sophomore center extended her range just outside the paint and scored off Christian's assist to make it 71-70 Midway with 33 seconds left.

The go-ahead basket was the last of Christian's game-high five assists, as she also led a balanced offense with 13 points off the bench.

After a defensive stop, the Eagles were able to extend their lead and maintain possession after Shawnee coach DeWayne Burroughs was called for a technical foul. Kassidy Daugherty made two free throws before Alyssa Hitch drew a foul on the ensuing in bounds play. After missing her first foul shot, Hitch made the second, giving her team an insurmountable four-point lead with three seconds remaining.

All five Eagle starters scored between nine and twelve points. Bree Howard had a season-high 12 while making all four of her 3-point attempts, Daugherty and Douthit had 11, Webb and 10 and nine rebounds while Hitch scored nine.

In 11 minutes off the bench, Trinity Johnson chipped in seven rebounds and three steals for Midway, which gets back to .500 in the RSC at 3-3 and 7-9 overall.

The win provided some potential momentum the Eagles could use going into Tuesday, as they will travel to face 14th-ranked Rio Grande (Ohio). The Red Storm are 6-0 in conference play and are scoring a nation-best 101.4 points per game.

The matchup in Rio Grande, Ohio tips at 5:30 p.m.

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