SAINT JOSEPH, Mo. — Malia Mastora buried a late 3-pointer to break the hearts of the Gannon women's basketball team as Cal State-San Marcos rallied to beat the Golden Knights 85-80 in overtime in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals at the St. Joseph Civic Arena on Monday.
“It's never easy saying goodbye to the team and the locker room will never be the same without our three seniors,” said Gannon coach Cleve Wright. “They are three fantastic people and they will always be a part of the Gannon family. They are very special and committed to being great players and even better teammates that care about each other.”
Gannon (35-3) led by double digits in the second half before the Cougars (27-6) started to rally. CSUSM took a 74-71 lead with 1 minute, 41 seconds left in regulation before Bri Claxon had a three-point play to tie the game at 74.
Neither team scored over the final 84 seconds and Gannon had a chance to win it at the buzzer but Sam Pirosko just missed on a baseline move.
The Cougars took an 80-76 lead with 1:25 left in overtime when Pirosko made it 80-78 with a layup. After Charity Gallegos scored inside, Kate Ratliff scored for Gannon to cut the lead to 82-80 with 38 seconds left.
CSUSM worked the clock down and with just seconds left on the shot cock, Mastora connected on a rushed 3-pointer to secure the win.
“I'm proud of the girls and their effort and energy. That was a battle,” Wright said. “We didn't really talk about the game in the locker room. We just talked about the end of the season and how this team is going to be different going forward.”
Pirosko had 26 points and eight rebounds for Gannon, while Ratliff had 15 points and 10 rebounds and McKel Nation had 14 points.
“My teammates mean so much to me. We're a family,” Pirosko said. “I can't wait to watch them next year. They are going to be so good and if they aren't back in the Elite Eight I'll be shocked.”
Jordan Vasquez led the Cougars with 26 points followed by Ava Ranson and Gallegos each with 15 points, Mina Tameilau with 14 and Mastora with 12.
“Gannon changed my life. I came in as a freshman and I wasn't much of anything,” Pirosko said. “My coach and my teammates made me who I am.”
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Heartbreaker: Gannon women fall in final seconds of overtime in NCAA Elite Eight
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