Headington's heroics set up Mustangs overtime dominance

GRINNELL - Annika Headington banked in her lone 3-pointer of tonight's game at the end of regulation to force overtime. The Mount Mercy women's basketball team outscored Grinnell 18-4 in overtime to complete the comeback-win, defeating the Pioneers 102-88 at Darby Gymnasium. 

The Mustangs jumped out to a 21-15 lead after the first ten minutes, but quickly found themselves down seven points heading to halftime after Grinnell used a 24-11 scoring advantage in the second quarter. Mount Mercy played from behind for the duration of the game as the Pioneers controlled the momentum on their home court. 

With 2:22 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Mustangs trailed by ten, 78-68, and Grinnell looked well on their way to the win. With their backs against the wall and no time to waste, Mount Mercy continued to chip away at the deficit. Madison Dreckman's floater started the Mustang surge. 

Grinnell (2-4) struggled from the free throw line down the stretch, going 6-for-10, giving Mount Mercy a chance. With just :36 seconds to go Marissa Brantley knocked down her third triple of the game, making it a one possession game, 82-79. Sammy Mia's layup with eight seconds left made it 82-81 in favor of Grinnell. Both teams traded timeouts to prepare for the final play. After a Mustang foul, Erin Lillis sunk both of her free throws to give the Pioneers a three-point lead. Headington received the inbound pass, dribbled the length of court, spotted up for a step-back three, and banked it in as time expired. 

The Mustangs carried over their high from the end of regulation and exploded during overtime, outscoring the Pioneers 18-4 in that five-minute period. Dating back to the 2:22 mark in the fourth quarter, Mount Mercy ended the game on an impressive 34-10 run.

The big three accounted for 72 of Mount Mercy's points. Mia dropped a season-high 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting. She added six rebounds and six assists. Dreckman finished with 26 points and 11 boards for her second consecutive double-double. Headington added 16. Sassy Coleman and Brantley were huge sparks off the bench, chipping in 14 and 11. Grinnell's Lillis led all players with 35 points. 

Mount Mercy takes a 4-1 record into Heart of America Athletic Conference action this Saturday, Nov. 26 as Benedictine (Kan.) (2-3, 0-0 Heart) comes to town. Tip-off is slated for noon inside Hennessey Rec. Center.