ARLINGTON, Va. – The Gallaudet women's basketball team ended a 23-game losing streak to Marymount (Va.) University on the road Tuesday night in the Converse Family Fieldhouse as the Bison won, 62-61, in dramatic fashion.

Sophomore forward Sophia Wascher (Noblesville, Ind.) made a jumper with five seconds left to give GU a one-point edge. Marymount missed a final shot as the Bison celebrated the first win in this series since 2000. The victory snaps a 23-game losing streak to the Saints. The last time Gallaudet celebrated a win over Marymount (Va.) the Bison had legendary Ronda Jo Miller, '02, starting in the game. 

Gallaudet (1-4) and Marymount (2-3) went back and forth in the opening quarter, posting four ties and five lead changes, as the Saints led 14-12 after 10 minutes played.

The buff and blue took advantage of Marymount's miscues in the second quarter, scoring nine points off turnovers and capitalized on the Saints' cold shooting (23.1 percent) to build a 29-22 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, first-year guard Tiana Starayev (Noblesville, Ind.) knocked down back-to-back jumpers to give Gallaudet a comfortable 37-27 lead at the 5:41 mark. Marymount fought back to make it a five-point game at the 1:09 minute mark but the Bison responded with a 5-0 run to close the quarter ahead 45-35.

The Bison saw their 12-point lead disappear as Marymount caught fire in the fourth, as they shot 50 percent (9 of 18), made two 3-pointers. The Saints took advantage of six GU turnovers to aid in their furious comeback as Marymount led 61-60 with nine second left.

Gallaudet regrouped during a 30-second timeout to set the stage for Wascher's heroics in the final seconds. Wascher sunk the clutch jumper in the paint with five ticks left on the clock to propel the Bison to their first win of the season.

First-year forward Natalie Greene (Fresno, Texas) led the Bison with a game-high 19 points as she was limited to 24 minutes due to foul trouble. Greene added eight rebounds, two blocks, two assists and two steals before she fouled out in the closing seconds of the game. Sophomore forward/guard Mackenzie Schirg (Factoryville, Pa.) notched a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Schirg went 4-for-5 at the free-throw line. Starayev was the third Bison to score in double digits with 12 points. She added three rebounds and passed out two assists. Wascher finished the game with nine points, grabbed 10 rebounds and made three steals.

The Saints had three players score in double figures, led by Cara Vollmer who scored 18 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals in the loss. Marymount outscored Gallaudet 26-17 in the fourth quarter.

BISON TRACKS

• Gallaudet went 25-for-62 from the field (40.3 percent)
• GU made 12 of 15 free throws (80 percent) 
• The Bison have recorded back-to-back games with 11 steals

UP NEXT
Gallaudet will bring momentum to Salisbury, Md., this Saturday, Nov 29, to play at Salisbury University (4-2) in a 4 p.m. non-conference game.