BRUNSWICK, ME- In a battle between 2008 NCAA Tournament qualifiers, the Wheaton College women's basketball team made four free throws in the final 35 seconds of the second overtime and held on for a 78-75 triumph against William Smith College on Tuesday during the first day of the Coastal Maine Classic in Bowdoin College's Morrell Gymnasium.

The Lyons improved to 5-4, while the Herons, who were receiving national recognition in the D3hoops.com poll earlier this season, slipped to 4-4 after advancing to last year's NCAA Sweet 16. Wheaton completes its two-game stint at the tournament tomorrow when it faces the host Polar Bears, who are receiving national votes, at 4:00 p.m.

Junior Andrea Bailey (Needham, MA/Needham) canned a three-pointer 11 seconds into the second overtime to give the Lyons a 68-65 edge, but the Herons countered with the next seven points. From that juncture, Wheaton scored 10 of the final 13 points, with senior Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) hitting a pair of free throws that put her team up, 74-73 with 1:51 left. Another freebie from Hickey knotted the contest with 35 ticks remaining, and classmate Jennie Pleat (Nashua, NH/Nashua South) hit one more to make it 76-75 at the 13-second mark. The Lyons dodged a bullet when the Herons missed two free throws with five seconds remaining and, after two more Wheaton freebies, William Smith was unable to fire off a final shot before the buzzer.

In the first overtime, Hickey's offensive board and putback helped the Lyons claim a 61-60 edge with 1:40 to go, and Pleat followed with four free throws by the 30-second mark to put Wheaton up 65-62. However, Heron sophomore Mollie Danahy (Troy, NY/Troy) made a free throw with 27 ticks to go and, after two missed Lyon freebies, drove for a tying hoop with four seconds remaining to force another extra session.

Senior Bri Smith (Westford, MA/Westford) nailed a three-pointer to give Wheaton a 43-25 advantage at the 17:45 mark of the second half, but stingy William Smith defense helped the Herons climb back into the contest. The Lyons were held scoreless for one 5:06 span, and William Smith eventually crept within 52-51 at 5:00.

Wheaton reestablished a four-point lead with 3:18 to go, but William Smith scored seven straight points to take a 58-55 edge with 1:23 remaining. However, junior Jenny Champney (Bedford, MA/Bedford) hit a free throw with 59 seconds left, and Bailey's pair of freebies with 28 ticks to go knotted the contest at 58. The Lyons withstood a Heron miss just before the buzzer.

A balanced first-half attack helped the Lyons forge a 12-point advantage by the intermission. Hickey's three-point play midway through the stanza gave Wheaton just its second lead since the opening minute, keying a 15-1 run that made it 27-16. The Blue and White took a 35-23 lead into the locker room behind scoring from eight players, as Champney and Pleat had seven points apiece. Wheaton committed only seven turnovers while forcing 12.

Hickey finished with 17 points, surpassing the 1,300-point plateau for her career, while Bailey had 13 points and five assists. Pleat collected 12 points, seven rebounds and five helpers, while Champney had 12 points and three blocks. Freshman Gabbie DePalo (Rumson, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven Regional) added 10 points and nine boards off the bench for the Lyons, who shot 25-of-39 from the charity stripe.

Danahy was 12-of-21 from the floor in finishing with 33 points and eight steals but was one of four Herons to foul out. Junior Erin Cunningham (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Knolls) was the only other William Smith player to reach double digits, scoring 10 points, while freshman Kristen Kush (Fulton, NY/Fulton) tallied a game-high 14 rebounds. The Herons shot 13-of-20 on freebies.