Northeastern Victory Comes Down to the Wire
Jan. 10, 2019, Sterling, Colo. — The Plainswomen hosted the Sheridan College Generals in their first game at home in 2019. This was a rescheduled game from the first semester when bad weather prohibited Sheridan from making the trip down to Sterling. The Plainswomen just recently came off a win against the Generals after Northeastern traveled to their place only a few days back. Being that these two teams were fresh off playing each other, this game could have gone either way.
In the first quarter, Northeastern was able to take the early lead, and maintain it going into the second quarter with a score of 22-19. The second quarter was where the Plainswomen extended their lead, holding the Generals to only 12 points in the quarter. With the score reading 43-31, Northeastern went into halftime relaxed and ready to find a way to beat the Generals two games in a row.
In the third quarter, the Plainswomen's offense staled and had a few costly turnovers that allowed Sheridan to chip away at the lead. The Generals out-scored Northeastern 18-12, which made it a 55-49 game with the Plainswomen holding onto their lead. Right away in the fourth, the Generals scored twice to make it a two-point game before the Plainswomen countered with a three by Aleksandra Ratnikava. That three didn't help Northeastern get the lid off the rim as they missed numerous shots within the paint. Those missed shots allowed the Generals to hang in the game, and take the lead with just over a minute to go in the game. The Plainswomen didn't let Sheridan keep the lead for long as Northeastern regained the lead the next possession. With only 30 seconds left in the game, Northeastern had the ball and set up a play, which lead to a drive by Alyzae Davis, who was unable to get it to go in. The Generals snagged the rebound and called a timeout. In the ensuing play, Sheridan had a chance to score, but Taylor Knudson thwarted their chances by blocking the shot, allowing Northeastern to get the ball. Fouls followed and Alyzae Davis drained two free throws. With the Plainswomen leading 70-67, and only five seconds on the clock, it came down to defense. Tashika Burrell blocked the shot at the buzzer sealing the victory.
Northeastern will have a stretch of home games starting on Monday, Jan. 14 as they host Eastern Wyoming.