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Southern Valley alum Megan Becker helps Loper women rally
KEARNEY -- The University of Nebraska-Kearney basketball team grabbed 57 rebounds and overcame 30 percent shooting to rally for a 77-71 overtime win over Colorado State-Pueblo Thursday night at the Health & Sports Center.
UNK (10-4, 4-1 RMAC) stops a two-game losing streak while the Thunderwolves fall to 8-5 (2-3 RMAC).
For most of the night, the Lopers couldn't "hit the broad side of a barn" as their field goal percentage hovered around 20 percent. UNK missed it's first 11 shots in the second half and trailed 51-35 with 11:35 left on the clock.
The percentages started to catch up, however, as Pueblo missed six straight three pointers and the Lopers finally began to make a few shots. Back-to-back buckets by senior Melissa Hinkley made it just a four point deficit, 58-54, by the 2:42 mark.
After CSUP got the lead back to seven, UNK out scored the T-Wolves 10-3 over the final 1:28 to send the game into overtime. Fittingly, sophomore reserve Megan Becker tied things up -- with 4.8 seconds left -- at 64 when she made a layup after rebounding a missed shot by junior Jade Meads (Elm Creek).
Becker (Beaver City and Southern Valley High School) was also fouled on the play but missed the ensuing free throw, her only miss at the line all night (6-of-7). Pueblo rebounded the ball but never got a good look and the game went an extra five minutes.
In overtime, UNK grabbed the lead at 3:20 and never gave it back. Senior Amy Mathis (Millard South) made a 3-pointer and went 6 of 6 at the line in the extra session to help seal the comeback effort.
Mathis finished with a game-high 23 points and, like most of the Lopers, warmed up down the stretch. UNK was 12 of 54 from the field (22.2 percent) over the first 31 minutes but made nearly half it's shots (12 of 26) in the final 14 minutes.
The top rebounding team in the RMAC, UNK pulled down an incredible 57 rebounds, including 29 on the offensive end. That let to 21 second chance points; Pueblo managed just six o-boards and three second chance points.
The Thunderwolves totaled 37 rebounds for the night.
The UNK school record for rebounds is 66, set in 1989 vs. Oral Roberts. The Lopers also helped themselves at the line, going 22 of 25, and scored 24 points off of 19 Pueblo turnovers.
Recording her fourth double double of the year, Mathis scored 17 of her points in the game's final 6:20.
She was 10 of 10 at the line with three of her five made field goals being threes. Finally, her 15 rebounds (six offensive, nine defensive) ties a career-high.
Four other Lopers were in double figures, including Hinkley and Becker (10 each).
Freshman guard Kaitlin Petri (Kearney Catholic) made 4 of 9 shots to tally 11 points while Colorado junior reserve Jonni Mildenberger grabbed 10 rebounds, one of six Lopers to have at least four caroms in the win.
UNK hosts Adams State Saturday at 2 p.m.