HOUGHTON, N.Y. –  Houghton fought their way to redemption in a thrilling 66-64 overtime win against Hartwick Hawks on Saturday evening in women hoops.
 
Houghton's junior forward Madison ?Detwiler? had a perfect game shooting 7-for-7 from the field and her put-back with 11 seconds left in overtime gave the Highlanders the win.
 
Highlanders had a rough second quarter and trailed 30-21 at the half. Hartwick's lead grew to as many as 13 but Houghton mounted their comeback, aided by a 12-for-12 showing from the free-throw line that trimmed the deficit to six.
 
Houghton out-scored Hartwick 19-13 in the fourth quarter. Laurie Call gave the Highlanders a 56-54 lead with 1:25 left before the Hawks scored with just under one minute left in regulation.
 
Both teams traded baskets and free throws in overtime with Houghton out-scoring Hartwick 10-8.
 
GAME VITALS                           
Score: Houghton – 66 | Hartwick – 64
Records: Houghton – 6-6 (2-1 Empire 8) | Hartwick – 2-9 (1-1 Empire 8)
Venue: Nielsen Center, Houghton, N.Y. | Attendance: 78
  
NOTABLE STATS
>> Houghton was perfect from the stripe shooting 14-for-14. Hawks shot 11-for-17
>> Along with Detwiler's 14 points, the Highlanders' Cori Beck (14 points), Brittany Lenart (11 points) and Hannah Cybart (10 Points) scored in double figures.
>> Hartwick's Carly Johnson led the Hawks collecting 18 points followed by Alexa Dubious who had 15 points.
>> Highlanders pulled down 38 boards while Hawks grabbed 29 boards.

COACH'S CORNER
"Very proud of our team effort as a whole on the court tonight. We battled back one possession at a time from a nine point deficit at the half. As we battled back throughout the third and fourth quarters, we took a small lead, kept control and executed well down the stretch making key shots. Foul shots came up huge for us today scoring all 14 of them in the second half –making 100% of them for the game.
 
Cori Beck led the pack with poise on offense which was so important the last quarter of play and into overtime. Cori and Laurie Call were pivotal in their scrappy efforts on defense in the final minutes of play, both providing the extra spark we needed to get things done.
 
Madison Detwiler had a terrific game shooting 100% from the floor and pulling down seven boards. Overall, I'm extremely proud of the fight, determination and composure displayed by our team. We are excited about the win and looking forward to another opportunity to play the game we love and honor God in the process!" 

–Coach Alicia Mucher

UP NEXT
The Highlanders are back in Nielsen Center on Tuesday at 8PM facing off against Empire 8 conference opponent, Elmira College.