WERRIBEE Devils survived a scare to beat Melbourne University Black Angels 68-64 in overtime in the Big V basketball women’s division 1 at the Melbourne University Sports Centre on Saturday night.
The Devils simply “fell asleep” when leading by 15 points in the third quarter, according to coach Lloyd Klaman.
Not only did they put the result in jeopardy but also their precious top spot – a ticket to home court advantage in the playoffs.
With another notch in the wins column, Klaman admits a close contest was what his side needed to jolt them into action before the finals.
“It wasn’t the worst thing for us to have a close game going into the finals,” he said. “The girls really stood up in the last five minutes. It was a good result; everybody is healthy and there’s no injuries.”
The Devils’ overtime play was not exactly from the coaches’ playbook.
They outscored the hosts 9-5 in the extra period, but it took three three-pointers, two from Lisa Troyahn and one from Elisha Burnette, to seal the deal.
Troyahn, with 23 points and 14 rebounds, and Burnette, 20 points and seven rebounds, were dominant on the offensive end for the Devils.
Emma Coyne produced a captain’s game with nine points, nine assists and six steals as the Devils ‘big three’ came to the fore.
The Devils will feature in a double header this weekend, travelling to Warrnambool on Saturday night before a home bout with second-placed Southern Peninsula. The equation is simple for the Devils: win one of their remaining two games and they will have the luxury of home court advantage in the finals.
