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CHEYNEY, Pa. – Courtney Smith (Milwaukee, WI/Nicolet HS) scored nine of the team's 14 points in overtime as the Lincoln University (PA) women's basketball team held off rival Cheyney, 74-68, on Sunday evening in the annual Battle of the Firsts at Cope Hall.
 
Smith finished with a team-high 21 points, including going 8-of-8 from the foul line. Denyse Moore (Hampton, Va./Woodside HS) had 21 points, five assists and four steals before suffering an injury late in the second half.
 
“At that point, it was time to win it for Denyse,” Smith said. “We came in knowing tonight's game wasn't going to be easy. If it wasn't for my teammates, I wouldn't have be able to do what I did.”
 
Tahlar McIntosh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Alvernia HS) added 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and Cynthia Johnson (Baltimore, MD/Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) poured in 11 points, five boards, four assists and a pair of steals as Lincoln (2-5) were 24-of-62 shooting for 39 percent.
 
Neither team could get much going offensive early, but the Lady Lions got some distance with an 8-2 run, capped by a Johnson three-point play with seven minutes left in the first half, giving Lincoln an 18-11 lead.
 
Cheyney (0-6) rallied and kept the game close and ended the first half on a 7-2 run during the final 4:09 to hold a slim, 27-26, advantage at the half.
 
Lincoln started the second half hot and took a 43-33 after a Moore layup with 12:47 remaining, but Cheyney refused to go away and used a 14-5 run during the next four minutes to cut the deficit to 48-47 after a Krya Hines-Allen bucket.
 
Neither team had more than a three-point lead in the final eight minutes as the Lady Lions grabbed a 59-56 advantage with 27 seconds remaining on a McIntosh jumper. Lachelle Miller cut the margin to 59-58 with a pair of free throws and after Alaysia Washington (Washington, DC/Friendship Collegiate Academy) went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line with 11 seconds left, Miller was fouled and sank a pair at the charity stripe with seven seconds left in regulation.
 
The Lady Lions had a chance to win the game in regulation as Smith's 3-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the back iron, sending the game into overtime tied at 60.
 
In the extra period, Lincoln raced out to a 69-62 advantage after Smith's 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:38 left and the Lady Wolves could never recover.
 
Tamara Russell paced Cheyney with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Allen-Hines added 13 points – all coming from the free-throw line. Faye Dunston chipped in with 11 points as the Lady Wolves shot 32 percent (18-of-56).
 
Lincoln takes a break from action for finals, but returns to action 1 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 15 at Manuel Rivero Gymnasium as the Lady Lions take on Georgian Court. To view the game through live stats, click here.
 
Lady Lions Notebook: Lincoln head coach Jessica Kern is undefeated in two tries against Cheyney (2-0)…It is the first back-to-back wins for Lincoln in the series dating back to the 1991-1992 seasons…The Lady Lions were 6-of-18 from behind the 3-point line, with Smith draining three…Lincoln finished with 20 steals, 15 assists and four blocked shots…Cheyney played its fifth game in nine days...Lincoln improved to 2-1 against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference schools.