Chong's 27 Points Leads CMS Women's Basketball to Win in Overtime Thriller

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Jacey Carter hit a tying three-pointer with 19 seconds left in regulation, and Renee Chong scored nine of her career-high 27 points in overtime as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's basketball team earned a hard-fought 79-77 win over Illinois Wesleyan on Friday afternoon at Roberts Pavilion.

The win was the sixth in a row for the Athenas to close out the calendar year, as they improve to 7-3 overall. Illinois Wesleyan slips to 7-6 with the loss. 

Chong scored nine of the 11 CMS points in the extra session, including a step-back three to tie it, and then another three-pointer from the left wing to put the Athenas ahead to stay off a pass from Ariana Dalia, who had a strong all-around game with 13 points, five rebounds, eight assists and six steals. 

CMS had to rally from down five with a minute to go, after a basket from Lauren Huber (28 points) put Illinois Wesleyan ahead 66-61. Dalia scored off a pass from Carter to close it to a three-point deficit, and Huber split two at the line with 46 seconds left to put the Titans ahead 67-63.

Chong hit two foul shots to make it a two-point game, and Huber made the first of two and was called for a lane violation trying to chase the rebound on the second to make the score 68-65. Chong missed a runner with 25 seconds left, and Illinois Wesleyan had a defensive rebound, but Ava Grey slid in for a key tie-up, which gave possession back to the Athenas. 

Off the inbounds pass, Carter flipped it into Dalia and made a quick dash to the short corner, where she took a return pass and squeezed off an open look before the Illinois Wesleyan defense could recover. The shot took a high bounce off the rim and then fell softly through the net to tie the score at 68-68. The Titans called timeout and called a play for Huber to attack the basket in the closing seconds, but Dalia slid in with help defense for a big steal to send the game to overtime. 

illinois Wesleyan took a 72-69 lead in the extra session before Chong started her big run with a driving lay-up. The Titans answered that basket to go ahead 74-71, but Chong responded by stopping on a dime for stepback three-pointer to level the score at 74-74. Illinois Wesleyan had a shot clock violation on the next possession, and then Chong swished a shot from the left wing to put the Athenas ahead off a kickout pass from Dalia. 

Huber made two foul shots and the Titans had a chance to take the lead after a stop, but Kayla Ishibashi knocked the ball free along the left sideline and the Athenas came up with the loose ball and called a timeout. Dalia made one of two foul shots to put CMS up 78-76, and the Titans went to the line with a chance to tie, but could only make one of two with five seconds left. Chong hit one of two as well, but when she missed the second, there wasn't enough clock left for the Titans to attempt a midcourt shot and the Athenas were able to come away with the hard-fought win. 

Grey had a solid game for the Athenas as well with 11 points, including 3-5 shooting from three, to go along with six rebounds, while Sadie Heckman was in double figures off the bench with 10 points. 

CMS will be back in action on Wednesday when it hosts La Verne for a 7 p.m. contest in a battle between two teams who are off to 3-0 starts in SCIAC play.