By Rob Potter
LOCH SHELDRAKE — Even though Sullivan County Community College Sara Thompson Tweedy felt her team was “more athletic and skilled” than Orange County Community College, the Lady Generals couldn’t catch up to the Colts in the final minutes of Thursday evening’s Mid-Hudson Conference (MHC) basketball game, losing 56-50 at the Paul Gerry Fieldhouse.
On three occasions, the Lady Generals were able to pull to within a basket. And with 8:50 to go, SCCC’s Erin Lane made a pair of free throws to even the score at 42-42.
But the Lady Generals (4-5, 1-2) converted just 1 of 6 free throws down the stretch while OCCC’s Molly Gillespie hit two key foul shots with 17.5 second remaining to seal the victory.
“Sometimes we have problems finishing a game,” said Thompson Tweedy. “We didn’t have enough scoring in the last few minutes tonight. ”
Gillespie led the Colts (5-3, 2-0) with 14 points, all of which she scored in the second half. Teammates Britanni Romanelli and Natalie Melendez had 11 points and eight points, respectively.
“I don’t think we played very well tonight,” OCCC Coach John Lauro said. “We were lucky to get the win.”
Thompson Tweedy noted that her team held the lead in the first half, but that OCCC surged ahead early in the second half.
“Anytime a [National Junior College Athletic Association] Division II team plays a Division III team, the Division II is expected to win the game,” Thompson Tweedy said. “But we played with confidence tonight and could have won this game. We just played sloppy and had too many turnovers.”
Kunnuh Wisseh led the Lady Generals’ offense with a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds. She also dished out five assists and made three steals.
Lane had 12 points and five rebounds, while Constance Fripp added seven points and nine rebounds for SCCC who defeated Queensborough on Saturday, 63-56.