MARS HILL, N.C. --- Ansley Ricker converted a three-point play with 11 seconds left in double overtime to lift Mars Hill College to a 74-72 victory over Tusculum College in South Atlantic Conference Women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Stanford Arena.

The Lions (6-18, 3-13 SAC) squandered a 15-point second-half lead to the Pioneers (13-11, 7-9 SAC), then forced overtime when Ricker hit a free throw with 0.5 seconds left in regulation.

Ricker finished with 19 points and seven rebounds for the Lions, who were led by 22 points and nine boards from Kelsey Espinosa. Autumn Ward scored 15 of her 17 points in the first half, including five three-pointers, to also reach double figures for Mars Hill.

Tusculum was paced by Kendal Baxter, who played a career-high 45 minutes and scored 15 points on 4-for-9 shooting from three-point range, along with a career-high 15 points off the bench from Blakeley Burleson. April McCann recorded a double-double with 11 points and a team-high 12 rebounds and Breaira Barksdale also reached double figures with 12 points and five assists before fouling out in the first overtime period.

After leading 39-26 at halftime, the Lions took their biggest lead of the game at 41-26 on a jumper by Espinosa on the first possession of the second half. From there, Tusculum went on an 18-3 run to tie the game at 44-44 on a three-pointer by Baxter with 9:35 to play.

Following four more ties, Tusculum took its first lead of the game at 56-55 when Baxter hit a three-pointer with 2:16 remaining. A free throw from Burleson extended the Pioneer lead to 57-55 with 1:46 left, but Ricker tied the game at 57-57 on two free throws with 1:03 left.

Baxter made one out of two free throws with 43 seconds left to give Tusculum a 58-57 lead, only to have Ricker answer with 15 seconds to go to put Mars Hill back on top 59-58.

The Pioneers regained the lead at 60-59 when Ashley Thurman scored on a putback with 4.6 seconds left. Out of timeouts, Ricker drove the lane and drew a foul call with 0.5 on the clock. She made the first but missed the second, and the teams went to overtime tied 60-60.

Tusculum took what wound up being its biggest lead of the game at 65-61 when Baxter hit two free throws with 1:59 left in the first overtime. Espinosa converted a three-point play on the Lions' next possession to cut the deficit to one. After several missed shots by both teams, the Pioneers' Kristen McMillion made a free throw with 55 seconds left to extend the lead to 66-64.

Mars Hill tied the game yet again when Taylor Tate made her only basket of the game with 37 seconds left, and a jump ball situation gave the Lions the ball back with a chance to take the lead. However, Ricker missed with 14 seconds left and Baxter could not connect just before the buzzer as the teams headed to double overtime.

For the Pioneers, who were playing their first overtime game in almost exactly one year, it was their first multiple-overtime game since a 97-94 win at Newberry on Feb. 9, 2000.

A free throw by the Lions' Erica Warren was answered by a jumper from Burleson that gave the Pioneers a 68-67 lead with 4:13 left in double overtime. The teams then combined to miss six shots and turn the ball over twice over the next two minutes, until Ricker canned a layup with 1:58 remaining for a 69-68 Mars Hill lead.

Espinosa added a layup with 1:08 left to give the Lions a 71-68 lead, but Baxter drilled a three-pointer to tie the game at 71-71 with 45 seconds remaining. McCann then came up with a steal and was fouled with 18 seconds to go, and made one out of two at the line to give the Pioneers their final lead at 72-71.

Ricker then drove the lane and scored with 11 seconds left, and sank the ensuing foul shot for a 74-72 Lions lead. The Pioneers set up a final play, but McCann could not connect and the Lions escaped with the win.

Tusculum was just 3-for-15 from the field in the overtime periods, and went 5-for-10 at the free-throw line. Mars Hill was 5-for-15 from the field after regulation, and 4-for-8 from the foul line in overtime.

After a scorching first half in which they shot 7-for-12 from three-point range and 14-for-23 (60.9 percent) overall, the Lions finished the game at 46.3 percent (25-for-54) from the field and 7-for-17 from beyond the arc.

Tusculum finished the game at 34.7 percent from the field, going 25-for-72 as a team. The Pioneers were 8-for-25 from three-point range and hit 14 of their 23 free-throw attempts in the game.

Thurman finished with eight points for the Pioneers, while Nequoiah Anderson tallied six points and McMillion added three points and eight rebounds. Mars Hill's Armeka Booker shared the game high in rebounds with a team-best 12 for the Lions, to go along with seven points.

Ward hit two three-pointers in the first two minutes to help the Lions to a quick 10-3 lead, and the margin reached double figures at 18-8 on a layup by Booker with 12:56 to go in the first half.

The Pioneers trimmed the deficit to six at 24-18 on a layup by Thurman with 7:35 left in the half, but a putback by Booker and a three-pointer from Ward sent the Lions to a 29-18 lead with 5:44 to go in the half. Ricker hit a three-pointer to give Mars Hill its largest lead of the first half at 37-24 with 1:26 to go.

Mars Hill led 39-26 at halftime as Ward connected on 5-for-6 from long range and scored a game-high 15 points, while Espinosa added 10 points and Ricker contributed eight. Barksdale led the Pioneers with seven points in the first half, but Tusculum shot 36.7 percent (11-for-30) from the field as a team.

The Pioneers will host Newberry on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. in the final home game of the season. It will be Senior Night at Pioneer Arena, with Tusculum's five seniors to be honored prior to game time.

- TC -