NEW ALBANY, Ohio -- Senior McKenna Stultz drained a deep three pointer with eight seconds left to give New Albany their first lead of the second half and ultimately the win. The Eagles defeated DeSales 47-46 in a non-conference matchup on Tuesday night. 

With just under 30 seconds remaining in the game, Stultz stole the ball near halfcourt and New Albany quickly called a timeout. After inbounding the ball, the Eagles struggled to get an open shot attempt forcing them to take a second timeout with 11 seconds left. Stultz inbounded the ball to sophomore Mary Kidwell at the top of the three point line. Kidwell found Stultz open on the left wing for a deep, NBA range three pointer that pushed the Eagles ahead by one point. DeSales inbounded the ball to junior Bella Brader who attempted a three pointer that was blocked and fell short. 

New Albany was rolling offensively to start the game, jumping out to an early 9-0 behind five straight points from Kidwell. This early lead forced a DeSales timeout in an attempt to calm the nerves of the Stallions. After being held scoreless for nearly the first four minutes of the game, Brader finally broke things open for DeSales with a three, breathing some life into the team. Both teams rounded out the quarter trading scores but a basket by senior Bridget Womber cut the Eagles’ lead to just one point to end the frame (12-11).

DeSales picked up right where they left off to begin the second quarter. Back-to-back buckets by Womber gave the Stallions their first lead of the game but senior Libby Henry had other plans for New Albany. Her first basket came on an offensive rebound with 5:44 left in the quarter and her second regained the lead for NA with just over five minutes left. Just as New Albany felt momentum swinging their way, senior Jessica Salyer drained back-to-back baskets to push DeSales to a three point lead. Freshman Kilynn Brown converted a three pointer late in the quarter to tie the game at 19 heading into halftime. 

Senior Kenyetietta Quinn came out of the locker room on a mission to start the second half for the Stallions and the one-two punch of Womber/Quinn outmatched an undersized New Albany team. The duo combined for 12 third quarter points and numerous rebounds. A basket late in the quarter by Quinn expanded DeSales lead to seven points before baskets by Kidwell and sophomore Addie English cut the score to 34-31 with one period to play. 

After a back and forth game to start the fourth quarter, DeSales maintained an eight point lead before the Eagles started storming back. Another three by Brown sparked the offensive onslaught and two free throws by Henry cut the lead to just three points. Junior Kinsey Spangler added a single free throw and a two point basket by Henry tied the game at 41. Quinn answered with three straight points for DeSales but Henry came up clutch yet again for the Eagles. She snagged an offensive rebound and was fouled in the act of shooting. She drained both attempts to cut the lead to two. On the ensuing DeSales possession, New Albany forced a turnover that eventually led to Stultz’s game winning three point basket. 

Henry led New Albany with 17 points. Kidwell added nine and Stultz scored eight. Quinn tallied 16 points for the Stallions in the loss and was supported by Womber with ten and Brader with nine. 

Let’s take a look at the keys to the game.

1. Attacking the Basket: New Albany struggled offensively in the second and third quarters against the DeSales zone. They settled for deep three pointers and rarely connected. Late in the third and in the fourth quarter, the Eagles attacked the zone off the dribble. This resulted in better, high percentage shots and trips to the free throw line. 

2. Free Throws: Down the stretch, free throws played a major role for New Albany. Henry went six-for-six in the fourth quarter alone and as a team, the Eagles shot 67% in the quarter. Free throws could have easily lost them the game but because the team converted, they came out on top. 

3. Offensive Rebounds: Despite being undersized, New Albany capitalized on offensive rebounds throughout the game. Specifically, three offensive boards in the second half of the fourth quarter were a massive difference for the Eagles. These three rebounds resulted in five points. 

4. Inside Out: After establishing Henry as a threat in the paint, this opened up the three point line for New Albany. While they only hit four threes on the night, three came late in the game at important times. On the last play of the game, Henry drew attention from three defenders, leaving Stultz open at the three point line for the game winner. 

5. Game Management: If New Albany did not have two timeouts left late in the game, I’m not sure we would have seen the same result. Their last timeout allowed them to set up a sideline inbounds play to win the game. 

MVP: McKenna Stultz (G / New Albany / 2024)

Top Scorer: Libby Henry (F / New Albany / 2024) - 17

Hustle Player: Libby Henry (F / New Albany / 2024) and Kenyetietta Quinn (F / DeSales / 2024)