EMMITSBURG - With 14 seconds remaining in a Northeast Conference semifinal, Alexa Hayward hit two free throws to give Saint Francis University a three-point lead.
Mt. Saint Mary's inbounded the ball and raced up the court, leading to an open look for senior Sydney Henderson with seven seconds left. But Henderson's 3-point shot attempt bounced off the rim and was rebounded by SFU. After two more made free throws, the Red Flash defeated Mt. Saint Mary's 68-63.
The Mountaineers trailed for the entire second half, going down by as many as 16 points. But the comeback was thwarted, and the Mount's women's basketball season came to an end.
"I'm just proud of our team, we gave it a great fight," Mountaineers coach Bryan Whitten said. "Down 16 with 12-and-a-half minutes to go and cut it to one ... that took a lot of energy and we just weren't able to pull it out."
Right before tipoff, the lights in Knott Arena flickered, and about 30 seconds later the power went completely out. The start of the game was delayed by half an hour and may have contributed to the slow start.
Both teams came out cold and the first basket wasn't made until three minutes into the game. It was a three by Haywood, who sunk another one right after that. She finished with a game-high 20 points and five 3-pointers. The Red Flash's first four made field goals were all 3-pointers.
Although the Mount (19-13) trailed for the majority of the first half and couldn't find consistent rhythm on offense - scoring just 25 points in the first half - it kept the game within reach, trailing by four going into halftime.
"I just think we had some mental mistakes," Whitten said. "And we had some execution things that we didn't do well, and if we could have executed a few more things you never know what could have happened."
St. Francis (15-16) took advantage of those mistakes to start the second half. The Mountaineers scored the first basket, but then SFU took control of the game.
The Red Flash went on a 10-2 run, giving them the first double-digit lead of the game. That lead would eventually grow to 16, seemingly locking up the win. The Mountaineers came back with a 9-0 run to cut it to seven, but in the end they just couldn't get over the hump and tie the game up.
Henderson, a first-team NEC player, finished with 13 points in her final college game. She couldn't get her shots to fall, particularly in the second half, scoring four points on 2-of-6 shooting. Jacqueline Brewer scored 16 to lead the Mount, shooting an efficient 6-10 from the field.
"It's been amazing and I wouldn't change it for anything," Henderson said of her career at the Mount.
"My coaches, my teammates have helped me not only as a basketball player, but as a person as well. And I can say that I'm a better person and a basketball player after tonight, it's just been great."
This was the second consecutive time that the Mountaineers have played in an NEC tournament semifinal. The program has come a long way since Whitten took over; Wednesday was the first time since 1996 that the Mount has hosted an NEC semifinal.
"It's a difficult way to end any season," Whitten said. "I think our team is tremendous, I love our team and I use the word love sincerely. The five [seniors] really have reinvigorated the Mount program and they have done some amazing wonderful things. They've left a high standard for the players that are freshmen, sophomores, and juniors."
