DeNicola's putback at :04 lifts LI Lutheran in OT

Long Island Lutheran had success pounding the ball inside to Jessica DeNicola. St. Mary's countered by making shots from beyond the arc.

DeNicola proved to be too much for St. Mary's to handle. The 6-3 senior scored on a putback with four seconds left in overtime to give host Long Island Lutheran a 60-59 win over St. Mary's yesterday in non-league. DeNicola had a season-high 28 points and 14 rebounds. She shot 12-for-20 from the field.

"It was a big thing to get inside to work it outside," DeNicola said. "We cut down on the turnovers. We made good decisions and played it smart in overtime."

The combo of DeNicola and Sam Milhaven, who had 13 points, five rebounds and five assists, led the Crusaders in the extra session. Milhaven scored the first five points of overtime for LIL, including a three-pointer to tie the score at 56 with 2:27 left. Milhaven fed DeNicola for a layup to make it 58-56 before Jessica Mattone tied it at 58 for St. Mary's.

Maddie Jankowski (21 points) went 1-for-2 from the free-throw line with 51 seconds left to put St. Mary's up 59-58. St. Mary's (15-7) called a timeout after DeNicola's go-ahead basket and never got a shot off.

"You have to get a shot off and we're looking to pass the ball into the corner," St. Mary's coach Tom Flynn said.

The game went back and forth in regulation. LIL (18-3) led 51-46 with 2:20 left before Shannon Flynn (25 points) scored on a fast-break layup with 1:50 left and a three-pointer with 26 seconds left to tie the score at 51 and force overtime.

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The Gaels shot 13-for-40 from three-point range, but went 1-for-4 in overtime.

"We realized we needed to get out on the shooters," Milhaven said. "We needed to be smart on offense and know when to bang it down to Jess and when to shoot a three."