PITTSBURGH, PA. – Urysla Cotton poured in a career-best 25 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, also a career-high, in her second double-double game of the season as Elon fell to Weber State 80-85 in a double-overtime thriller in the third game of the Pitt Thanksgiving Tournament in Pittsburgh, Pa. The team also recorded 27 assists, a Petersen Event Center record for a visiting team.
Julie Taylor also scored a career-high with 11 points. Amber Wall was the final Phoenix player in double-digits with 14, two shy of her season-best of 16 that was set against N.C. A&T. Cotton’s efforts landed her on the all-tournament team.
With the loss, Elon falls to 1-5 on the season heading into conference play. Weber State is now 3-2.
Cotton grabbed the first four points for the Phoenix after hitting a jumper followed by two from the charity stripe that allowed Elon an early 4-0 lead. WSU battled back to take a 5-4 lead. The Wildcats would not hold the advantage for long as Elon’s Sharwil Bell scored on the next possession,
A three-pointer by Taylor put the Phoenix up by four with 14:37 remaining in the half. A trio of threes by the Wildcats, including a pair by Ali Thorderson put Weber State up by five. A pair of baskets by Erica Keto highlighted a Phoenix 6-0 run that brought the game within one at 15-14 with 11:42 remaining in the half.
The teams battled until Weber State put up its largest lead of the half at five with under six minutes to play at 19-24. Elon answered with five of its own to tie the game for the third time of the half at 26. The teams would tie for a final time at 28, but a layup by Caitlin Anderson allowed the Wildcats to enter the half with a two-point lead at 30-28.
The Wildcats jumped out of the gate early in the second half, gaining a 14-point lead with 13 minutes to play. Elon answered with a 12-0 run, including back-to-back threes by Tiffany Davis and Taylor, that put the game back within two at the eight-minute mark. A layup by Wall with five minutes left in regulation regained the lead for Elon.
Elon was up by three thanks to a jump shot by Cotton, but a shot from behind the arc by Andersen allowed Weber State to knot the score at 62 to send the game into its first overtime.
With momentum on its side, Elon scored the opening three baskets of the first overtime, including three points by Cotton. A three-pointer by Taylor put Elon up by six at 70-64 but Weber State posted consecutive threes to tie the score at 70. Tonya Schnibbe scored on a layup with 13 seconds left to send the game into its second overtime.
Wall put up the first points of the second overtime to give Elon a 76-74 lead. The Wildcats put up five to take a 83-78 advantage. Wall brought the game within three at the 80-83 mark with less than a minute to play, but a foul by Taylor sent Anderson to the free throw line where she sank both shots with 23-seconds left that sealed the game 85-80 for the Wildcats.
Elon returns to action Tuesday evening when it ends its four-game road stretch as UNC Greensboro comes to Alumni Gym in the conference opener. The game is slated for a 7 p.m. tip. Live stats and video streaming will be available for the game.
- ELON -
