PRATT, Kan. - The Independence Women’s Basketball team picked up their second conference win in dramatic fashion as they rallied from 17 down in the second half to knock off Pratt.
After an evenly matched first quarter, Pratt began to break the game open in the second half, as the Pirates struggled offensively, only making one field goal in the frame. Mimi White scored eight of the Pirates nine second quarter points as they trailed by 15 heading into the half.
As the Lady Pirates have done as of late, they turned the tides in the third quarter, as they finished the period on a 16-8 run to trim the Beavers lead all the way down to five.
The Pirates quickly scored the first five points of the final quarter to tie the game up, and were able to claw all the way back and take the lead with just under eight minutes on a jumper from Nyah Chandler. The Lady Pirates pushed their fourth quarter lead to five after a three point shot from Rylan Chandler around the six-minute mark. The Beavers quickly answered with a 10-2 run to retake a three point lead with two and a half minutes remaining.
The score would hold at 69-66 in favor of the Beavers, when Danaiya Stillwell-Smith went to the line with just 15 seconds remaining. Stillwell-Smith would knock down the first free throw before missing the second and corralling her own rebound, which led to an offensive rebound and putback from Rylan Chandler to tie the game with 13 seconds remaining. In a wild sequence down the stretch, the Beavers turned the ball over, only for the Pirates to give the ball right back with a turnover of their own. With the Beavers looking for the final shot, they once again turned the ball over, which led to a foul that sent White to the free throw line with just a second remaining and two shots at the lead. White knocked down the first, all but clinching the win for Indy. White missed the second and Stillwell-Smith scored a last second putback to give the Pirates a three point win.
The second half was one of the best the Lady Pirates have played all year, outsourcing the Beavers 48-30 erasing the 15 point halftime deficit. Indy had one of their better shooting nights, finishing 38% from the field, while also forcing 25 turnovers that led to 25 points.
The win moves Indy to 5-17 overall and 2-14 in conference play, as they continue to fight for one of the final spots in the KJCCC postseason tournament. The Lady Pirates will have another crucial game this Wednesday as they take on Fort Hays Tech Northwest, where a win would put them multiple games ahead of the Tigers in the standings for that final playoff spot. The Lady Pirates defeated the Tigers for their other conference victory 61-55 back on December 3rd.