PITTSBURGH, PA - Women's basketball put on a nail-biter for their conference play opener at home. The Redhawks went into overtime with conference rival, the Penn State-Behrend Lions. After a contest that saw 20 lead changes, 15 ties, and an extra 5 minutes of play, La Roche was able to pull out an overtime win with a final score of 79-76.

The game was close throughout its entirety. At half-time, the teams went into the locker room tied at 32-32, at the end of the third period the teams were tied 48-48, and at the end of the fourth period, the score was 64, prompting a 5-minute overtime. 

Where the Lions bested the Redhawks were in fast breaks. La Roche earned 13 fast break points while the Lions earned 20. That being said, here are the areas where La Roche earned their win. 

The Redhawks snagged 15 more rebounds than the Lions. The prime example of this is Machia Hairston who earned 18 rebounds in tonight's contest, as well as 19 points for yet another double-double of the season.  This adds up in the stats with La Roche earning 17 points from second chances whereas Behrend recorded only 3-second chance points. 

The team also earned almost double the points from turnovers. Makayla Abram got the reap the reward. Abram scored 20 points to have the most points in the game. 

We also can't forget to mention the rock of this team, Danajah Sanders. Sanders followed shortly behind Abram and Hairston netting 17 points against the Lions. It was Sanders that stayed cool and collected on the free throw line to net both foul shots to win the Redhawks the game. 

La Roche will be back on Monday for what they hope is a repeat result against the Mount Aloysius Mounties at home.