ROCHESTER, NY -- The RIT (6-7, 0-4 Liberty League) women's basketball team lost its fifth straight game, falling 79-73 in overtime to Clarkson University on Saturday afternoon. Madison Shea and Cara Manfredi each made a pair of free throws late in the overtime session to seal the win for the Golden Knights.
Merissa Maiorano (Rochester, NY/Pittsford Mendon) led the Tigers with 15 points and seven rebounds.
Sarah Wolcott (Cohocton, NY/Wayland-Cohocton) added 14 points, while
Ashlynn Palmitesso (Fulton, NY/G. Ray Bodley) tallied 12.
RIT shot 44.4 percent from the floor on 28-of-63 shooting. The Tigers were 5-of-16 from beyond the arc and went 12-of-18 from the foul line. Maiorano led with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting and was 3-of-4 from the foul line. She also dished out a pair of assists.
The first half saw RIT take a 19-13 lead with 5:13 to play on a 3-pointer from
Amanda Olsen (Glen Mills, PA/Archmere Academy). She took a feed from Frank out on the wing and drained the long range shot, giving the Tigers a six-point lead. Clarkson responded with a 12-6 run to close out the first half tied 25-25. RIT shot 41.7 percent from the floor led by Palmitesso's six points.
Clarkson came out firing in the second half, building a 17-point lead when Cara Manfredi converted a layup with 9:38 to play giving the Golden Knights a 53-36 lead. Manfredi led Clarkson with a game-high 32 points on 9-of-18 shooting.
The Tigers responded with a 22-5 run over the final 9:38 of regulation, tying the score at 58-58 on a free throw from
Sarah Wolcott (Cohocton, NY/Wayland-Cohocton) with 48 seconds to play. Bender, Maiorano and Palmitesso each had five points for RIT to spark the run.
In the overtime, Palmitesso gave RIT a 65-63 lead on her bucket with 2:52 to play. The Golden Knights would outscore the Tigers 16-9 over the final 3:16 of overtime for the win.
RIT held a slight 36-35 rebounding edge. The Tigers scored nine second-chance points 16 points off of 18 Clarkson turnovers.
The Tigers return to action on Tuesday, January 13 when the Tigers host William Smith College at 6 p.m. on the floor of Clark Gym.
