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Women’s Basketball: Lions hold off Flames

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It was a fine line that decided victory for the Vanguard University women’s basketball team Thursday night.

The No. 3-ranked Lions, coming off a 27-2 campaign, opened their regular season with a 74-73 nonconference home triumph over a determined and athletic squad from Bethesda. But not without having to hold their collective breath in the final seconds.

Bethesda, which trailed, 44-24, at halftime and 52-29 with 17:12 left, made a near-three-pointer at the buzzer, right in front of its own bench players, who celebrated what they thought was a three-pointer to force overtime.

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The officials, however, never wavered, calling it a two-pointer and allowing Vanguard and its fans to exhale.

Spokane Community College transfer Riley Holsinger, a junior playing her first game for the Lions, led the way with 30 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals.

Junior Sammy Doucette, an All-American last season, added 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the winners.

Doucette, the only member of the starting five that started a game for the Lions last season, converted a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left that proved to be the difference.

Bethesda’s Lisette Longomo, a 6-foot-3 senior who had all of her team-best 20 points after halftime, caught a pass heading toward the sideline in the right corner on the ensuing possession. She planted her feet and sank the jumper, but, according to the officials, needed an inch or two more to wind up behind the three-point line.

“It was a two,” Vanguard Coach Russ Davis said of the dramatic finish. “I knew it was a two.”

Davis, who entered his 19th season at the helm needing 22 wins to reach 500 at the school, was less certain of his overall take on his team’s season debut.

“To be honest, I don’t know what to think right now,” Davis said after the postgame handshakes were delayed, as Bethesda Coach Jason Pruitt sprinted nearly the length of the floor to try to catch the officials as they retreated to their locker room. “I’ll have to watch the video. It’s just a blur. I can’t believe that … we just didn’t compete toward the end, when we needed to get stops. It’s frustrating. We didn’t talk to each other, but I shouldn’t be surprised, because we don’t do it in practice. We’re just young. We have to get better.”

Holsinger, who originally committed to Boise State out of high school and was the state community college player of the year last season at Spokane, where she holds seven of the program’s career individual records, including 1,083 points, looked most comfortable among the first-time starters.

“She’s a heck of a player,” Davis said of the 5-10 combo guard. “She did great for her first game, but she had too many turnovers [a team-worst seven].”

Holsinger finished 10 for 18 from the field, including five for seven from three-point range. She had 19 points at halftime. Her five free throws helped her combined with Doucette to go nine for nine from the foul line.

During an almost 20-minute stretch beginning with 6:42 left in the first half until 6:49 remained in the game, Holsinger and Doucette accounted for 10 of the Lions’ 13 field goals. The duo finished with 16 of the Lions’ 23 field goals, including seven of the team’s nine three-pointers.

Vanguard, which trailed only once at 3-2, finished the first half on a 23-5 run that included 10 points by Holsinger to seemingly establish command.

An 11-3 surge by the visitors (1-3), pared the deficit to 64-59, but Holsinger answered with a three-pointer.

Vanguard led, 72-63, with 3:15 left, but the Anaheim-based Flames, who shot 57.1% from the field in the second half, pulled to within 72-71 on a three-pointer with 24 seconds left.

The Flames wasted 14 seconds on the ensuing possession, seemingly ignoring a shouting Pruitt’s order to intentionally foul, before Doucette cashed in from the line to create just enough cushion.

Nicole Zugasti, a 6-0 senior, had nine points, six rebounds and two steals in 22 minutes off the bench to help Vanguard survive shooting just 26.7% in the second half.

Nonconference

Vanguard 74, Bethesda 73

Beth – Longomo 20, Muanandibu 7, Trinidad 12, Bautista 5, Gleason 3, Nelson 17, Jones 5, Ortiz 4.

3-pt. goals – Trinidad 4, Gleason 1, Bautista 1, Nelson 1.

VU – Doucette 18, Goff 6, Holsinger 30, Land 6, Martin 0, Zugasti 9, Kennedy 5.

3-pt. goals – Holsinger 5, Doucette 2, Land 2.

Halftime – 44-24, VU.

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