PENSACOLA, Fla. – Silvia Veloso scored 14 points, but none were more important than her final three, as she lifted the No. 12 Seward County women’s basketball team over the No. 5 NJCAA DII North Arkansas Pioneers on a buzzer beater in overtime.
That Lady Saints played with a short bench, as just two Lady Saints came off the bench in the win, but the starters took care of business when they needed it. Four of Seward’s starters scored in double-figures – Lexi Hernandez (20 pts), Karolina Szydlowska (18 pts), Carla Covane (14 pts) and Veloso (14 pts). The 20 points from Hernandez makes it back-to-back 20 point performances for the sophomore guard.
The teams were locked up after four quarters at 60 points each, forcing free basketball in the final non-conference game of the season for the Lady Saints. Trailing 72-70 with time running out, the Lady Saints called a timeout to draw up a play for Hernandez to shoot a three for the win. Her shot was off target, but Veloso picked up the rebound around the three-point line and shot up a desperation shot that found it’s mark, giving Seward the win 73-72.
Seward shot 38.7 percent (29-for75) from the floor and 28.1 percent (9-for-32) from behind the arc. The Lady Saints were limited at the charity stripe, shooting just nine and making six. Seward came away with a season-high eight blocks, led by Szydlowska’s five blocks.
The game wraps up the non-conference slate for the Lady Saints. Seward will head back to conference play on Wednesday (Jan. 9) when they travel to Independence to take on the Lady Pirates. Six of the next nine games will be on the road for the Lady Saints to start the 2019 calendar year.