LAKEWOOD, NJ- The Georgian Court University women's basketball squad, in a contest for the ages, suffered a crushing triple overtime defeat Saturday afternoon in the GCU Wellness Center, as the Lions fell to CACC-rival Bloomfield College by the score of 83-76.

The defeat marks GCU's seventh in a row (1-7, 1-4 CACC) after winning the initial game of the season. The Lady Deacons improve to 5-2 on the year with a 3-1 record in-conference.

Neither team looked very interested in controlling the ballgame at the start as Bloomfield held a 1-0 advantage 4:13 after the opening tip. The Lady Deacons eventually built some offensive momentum and held a 7-0 advantage just 48 seconds later.

Bloomfield increased its lead to a game-high 13 with 7:25 remaining in the first stanza when a pair of free throws from former GCU hoopster (2009) Shaniqua Bacote (Sr.-Paterson, NJ) made the score 23-10. The Lions outscored the Lady Deacons, 13-7, over the half's final minutes as Georgian Court trailed its guest, 30-23, heading into intermission.

A Nakaida Thomas (Jr.-Trenton, NJ) layup 3:02 into the second half built the Bloomfield lead to 34-23 before the Lions sprinted on a 13-0 run over the next 7:17, capped by a #Brittany Baker# layup that gave Georgian Court a 36-34 advantage.

The lead would not sway by more than three points in either direction for the remainder of regulation. Shauneia McPhearson drained a jumper with 28 seconds remaining to give the Lions a slim 54-53 lead. Bloomfield's Ivettlis Castro (Jr.-Carteret, NJ) drew a key foul at 0:18 and promptly swished two free throws, giving her club a 55-54 advantage. 

In a tit for tat contest, Ebony Sellers drew a foul of her own, courtesy of the Bloomfield defense, with six ticks remaining. Sellers missed her first effort, but dropped in the second as the Lions had no choice but to settle for an overtime opportunity for victory.

In the first OT affair for both squads this season, Tara Steakin popped a three-pointer 13 seconds into the extra period to give GCU a 58-55 lead. An Ariel Wilson (Fr.-Chesapeake, VA) layup with 2:57 left made the score 59-58 Bloomfield. The scoreboard flashed 59-59 at 2:49 after a Sellers free throw before the Lions took what seemed to be an insurmountable 63-59 advantage after a McPhearson jumper with 1:14 remaining. However, a Castro three-pointer (0:47) and a Dre'Shonda Williams (Sr.-Piscataway, NJ) free throw evened the affair at 63-63.

The Lions caught a break with 24 seconds left as Steakin drew a foul and promptly drained two clutch free throws to give her team a critical 65-63 lead. Unfortunately, Georgian Court would commit a horrifying turnover just ten seconds from the triumph, resulting in a game-tying Wilson layup and a second overtime period.

GCU developed a 69-66 lead with 3:36 remaining in the second overtime, courtesy of a Christina White jumper, but the Lady Deacons immediately countered with its own three-point swing to make the score 71-69 at 2:03. Georgian Court's Inayah Williams tied the score at 71-all as that would prove to be the final basket for either team over the final 1:37.

Bloomfield proved that three's a charm in round three of overtime as the Lady Deacons led  from start to finish in what would prove to be the final stanza, outscoring the Lions, 12-5, over the five-minute period and solidifying the 83-76 "W". 

The Lady Deacons outshot the Lions from the floor in the marathon contest, 35.4% (29-for-82) to 28.9% (26-for-90). Georgian Court, however, held the lead on the boards out-rebounding Bloomfield, 70-59.

Wilson topped Bloomfield with a game-high 24 points and collected nine rebounds, seven steals, and five assists.  Nahja Carter (Fr.-Neptune, NJ) collected a double-double with a team-high 12 rebounds to go along with ten points and a game-high eight steals. Bacote provided 11 points and eight rebounds while Williams also dropped in 11. Castro joined her teammates with a double-digit scoring effort, putting in ten points for the Lady Deacons.

GCU's McPhearson collected a season-high 22 points for the Lions and grabbed 11 boards for her first double-double of the campaign. Tara Steakin registered 13 points off the GCU bench, including a game-high three three-pointers in 32 minutes of action. White snagged a game -high 16 rebounds, including 10 of the defensive variety.

The Lions return to the court on Thursday with a 6:00 p.m. CACC home game vs. Philadelphia University.