NORTH CANTON, Ohio - In a game that was battled in front of an ESPN3 audience, the #25 Walsh Cavaliers women's basketball team won their ninth straight game but it didn't come easy. Saturday's (Jan. 11) contest featured 17 lead changes and six ties but it came down to a pair of free throws in the final seconds. 

Quionche Carter converted a pair of free throws with 1.6 seconds left, giving #25 Walsh a 75-73 win over the Cedarville Yellow Jackets at Alumni Arena. 

Walsh scored 12 points in the paint in the first quarter, as they led 20-17 through the first quarter. The Cavaliers erased two leads with runs of 4-0 and 5-0 and led by as many as four points. Kimmie Borck scored seven points and Mayci Sales added six in the opening quarter. 

Both teams exchanged the lead six times in the second period as neither team led by more than four points. After trailing by three twice in the opening three minutes, Carter gave the Cavaliers a 27-26 lead with 6:16 left in the first half. Lexie Scarton pushed the lead to four with 2:33 left. Cedarville came back with a 7-2 run but Tyler Newkirk closed the half with a layup as Walsh led 39-38 at halftime. 

The Yellow Jackets scored six of the first eight points in the third quarter, taking back a 44-41 lead two minutes in. Walsh went on a 17-2 run (including 12 straight points) over six minutes, taking a 58-46 lead. Five different players fueled the run but Newkirk nailed two three pointers on the rally. Cedarville ended the third quarter with a 9-0 run, trailing the Cavaliers 58-55 after three quarters. 

The run became 13-0 as the Yellow Jackets took back a 60-58 lead two minutes into the fourth quarter. Megan Ball tied the game with a layup before Borck added a three pointer. Sales capped a 7-0 run with a layup as Walsh led 65-60 with 6:10 left. The teams went back and forth with scoring over the next six minutes. Walsh led by as many as six on two different occasions. Cedarville tied the game at 73 with 19 seconds left on a layup. 

The Cavaliers called a timeout to draw up the potential game-winning play. Carter drove inside and missed the first shot at the rim. She got her own rebound and was fouled on the putback attempt. The sophomore took a few deep breaths and nailed the game-winning free throws with 1.6 seconds remaining. Walsh improved to 14-2 overall and 7-0 in the G-MAC with a 75-73 win at home. 

Sales ended the afternoon with her sixth double-double after 16 points and 11 rebounds and three assists. Sales made 5-8 field goals and 6-8 free throws in the contest. Newkirk made seven field goals (two threes) for 16 points with three steals. Ball added 11 points, five rebounds and two blocks off the bench. Borck and Carter each scored ten points with Carter adding ten rebounds for her second double-double. 

The Cavaliers shot 43.6% (24-55) from the floor, edging Cedarville's 42.4% field goal percentage. Walsh was 22-of-26 from the charity stripe in the game. 

Walsh takes the streak on the road as they head to West Virginia next week with Alderson Broaddus coming up on Thursday (Jan. 16). 

-WC-