FULTON, Mo. - Spalding women's basketball earned an 80-77 overtime victory in a must-win St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) battle at Westminster.

With the win, the Golden Eagles sit at 6-17 overall and 3-9 in the SLIAC. Spalding is currently tied with Eureka who holds the final spot in the conference tournament with two games left. The Blue Jays fell to 14-9 overall and 8-4 in the SLIAC after the loss.

TURNING POINT
The Golden Eagles opened the day strong, putting up the first five points of the game. At the 2:55 mark in the first quarter, the visitors took their first lead at 11-9. The lead changed four more times in the frame with the Blue Jays holding a one-point lead going into the second.

Outside of a Nicole Hollowell layup that put Spalding up one in the second quarter's opening seconds, Westminster held the lead for the quarter. The third quarter was similar with the Blue Jays leading for all but 17 seconds of the frame.

Shooting from deep helped pull the Golden Eagles back into the game. SU made five of seven attempted 3-pointers in the quarter, which was good for 71.4 percent. The deep shot for Spalding was key all game. The team's made the most 3-pointers in a game all season with 11.

With the Golden Eagles down two with under two minutes left in regulation, Isis Rodgers hit a jumper in the paint to tie the contest at 68-all. Jacie Chesser gave SU a one-point lead with a made free throw, but Westminster answered back with one of their own to send the game to overtime.

A 3-pointer by Kailey Reed gave Spalding an early lead in the extra period. The visitor's lead held until 41 seconds left when the Blue Jays hit two free throws to tie the game at 77-all. The Golden Eagles prevailed when Rodgers hit two free throws to go up 79-77 followed by Chesser hitting a free throw to end the game. Spalding picked up the SLIAC win 80-77.

GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES

• Jacie Chesser led all scorers and rebounders with the fourth double-double of her collegiate career. She scored 20 points and pulled down 12 boards.
• Four more Golden Eagles scored in double figures. Alyssa Hitch had 15, Nicole Hollowell had 12, Kailey Reed had 11, and Isis Rodgers had 10.
• Hitch's 15 points were a career-high. The game marked just the second contest the freshman has played since January 14 due to injury.
• Hollowell had her best performance from the field of her career with four made shots.
• The 80 points are the third most the team has scored all season.

ARROW SAFETY PLAYER OF THE GAME
Isis Rodgers earned her first Arrow Safety Player of the Game after the game. The freshman had a career-high 10 points, two 3-pointers made, and two free throws made.

NEXT FOR SPALDING
The final two games of the regular season for SU take place in Louisville. Spalding hosts Greenville on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. and Eureka on Saturday at 1 p.m.