The tension in the air was palpable. Having blown a 21-point lead to conference rival Western Illinois and desperately needing a win, the Thunderbirds turned to Cassie Burgess, who her teammates call "C-Money" for her ability to hit big shots in clutch situations. But this time the bank was closed.
Burgess' would-be winner fell short as the buzzer sounded ending regulation and the T-Birds needed double overtime to beat the Leathernecks 70-61 Saturday night at the Centrum.
"You can't win them all like that," said SUU guard Caitlyn Sears. "But it would be very nice."
SUU built a 30-9 first-half lead behind 11 points from Challis Pascucci, who finished the night with a career-high 23 points and just missed a double-double with nine rebounds, while the defense held the Leathernecks to three points for over 11 minutes.
Four first-half 3-pointers and 41 percent shooting from the floor helped SUU take a 30-13 advantage into the intermission.
WIU went 4-of-25 in the first half while being outrebounded by the T-Birds 25-12.
It was a reversal of fortune in the second half however, as SUU's shooting went cold and the Leathernecks went on a 30-15 run, narrowing their deficit to two points with a little more than four minutes to play.
"The first half we executed well and shot the ball well," said SUU coach J.R. Payne. "Then they weren't falling (in the second half), and then we got a little gun shy and a little hesitant and then it kind of snowballed."
SUU managed to hang on to the lead for most of the game until Jordan O'Brien tied it at 47 on a short jump shot with 23 seconds left in regulation, ultimately sending the game into overtime.
The Leathernecks took their first of two leads in the contest with 1:30 left in the first overtime period as O'Brien hit a 3-pointer, putting WIU up 56-55.
SUU got the lead back 17 seconds later on a Burgess jumper and held on until O'Brien tied it again with 19 seconds to go.
Burgess had another chance to win it for the T-Birds at the end of the first overtime but stumbled as she made her way through traffic, losing the ball and bringing up another extra period.
Pascucci scored six of the T-Birds' 11 points in the second overtime and the defense held WIU to only two points, putting an end to a marathon game and giving SUU a much-needed win.
"To lose a lead like that is horrible," Sears said. "But it shows a lot of character ... when your team can find your own momentum, go into overtime and shove it down their throat."
SUU will try to carry that feeling into tomorrow night's game against IUPUI, something Sears said she feels confident about.
"We'll take this momentum and this win and apply it into the next game and continue to get better every day," she said.
