BALTIMORE - Saint Francis Brooklyn knocked down three free throws in the final 25 seconds of triple overtime Friday night to escape Reitz Arena with a 75-70 win over the Loyola University Maryland women's basketball team in the longest game played in program history.
 
Loyola never trailed during regulation, but with the score tied at 51-51, sophomore Delaney Connolly finished a layup to give the Greyhounds a two-point advantage with 17.9 seconds to play. The Terriers scored with 0.9 ticks left on the clock to force overtime, though.
 
Saint Francis won the opening tipoff of the first overtime period and converted a pair of free throws to earn its first lead of the game, 55-53. Junior Stephanie Karcz's layup tied the game for a sixth time, but a 5-0 run gave the Terriers their largest lead, 60-55. Connolly came in clutch after that, converting a pair of free throws before knocking down a trey to knot the game once again, at 60-60, and force a second overtime.
 
Although each team only scored two points in the second overtime period, Saint Francis came out firing in the third overtime. The Terriers used a 7-0 run to pull ahead 69-62 less than two minutes into play. Redshirt senior Bri Betz-White attempted to spark Loyola's comeback, picking up a steal and a fast-break layup, but the Terriers' layup regained their seven-point advantage with 1:38 to play.
 
Betz-White wasn't done though, as she knocked down a 3-pointer to cut Loyola's deficit to four, 71-67, with 1:10 to play. Saint Francis extended it back to five with a free throw before junior Alexis Gray's trey brought Loyola within two, 72-70, with 26 seconds to go. The Terriers converted their final three free throws to hold on to the win.
 
Betz-White scored a game-high 22 points, while freshman Taleah Dixon added 13 and Connolly contributed 12. Defensively, Karcz led all players with 12 rebounds and seven steals.
 
For the Terriers, Jade Johnson had 16 points, while Maria Palarino had a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Karcz sparked a hot start for the Greyhounds, forcing the Terriers into four-consecutive turnovers by coming up with four-straight steals, allowing Loyola to build an 8-0 lead in the first 2:11.
 
The Terriers called a timeout to break the streak and connected from downtown on their next possession, but the Greyhounds' offense continued its hot streak, hitting eight of its first 11 shots to build a 16-6 advantage by the 4:59 mark. St. Francis Brooklyn halted Loyola's 6-0 run with a layup and then it answered Gray's layup to send the Greyhounds into the second quarter with an 18-10 lead.
 
Loyola was unable to take its hot shooting into the second quarter, as the Terriers worked to even the score at 18-18 and then tied it again at 20-20. Betz-White's steal set up a fast-break layup for Dixon to keep the Greyhounds ahead, 22-20.
 
Saint Francis Brooklyn was unable to tie the game, as it only converted one of its free throws, and junior Hannah Niles pushed Loyola back ahead three, 24-21, with 20 seconds to play. The Terriers made a layup at the buzzer to stay within one, 24-23, at the halftime break.
 
Dixon started the third-quarter scoring with a trey and then Betz-White went on a personal 6-0 run following the Terriers' jumper to put Loyola ahead 33-25 at the 4:50 media timeout. Betz-White continued her run, scoring six of the game's next 11 points, to give the Greyhounds a nine-point advantage, 39-30. Saint Francis knocked down back-to-back treys though, cutting its deficit to three, 39-36, heading into the fourth.
 
An and-1 situation for the Terriers evened the score for a third time, at 39-39, to start the final stanza, but Dixon sparked an 8-2 run that regained a 47-41 lead for the Greyhounds. Gray knocked down a triple after SFC pulled within three, and Connolly's free throw at 3:04 gave the Greyhounds a 51-47 advantage. The Terriers' 4-0 run tied the game for a fourth time at 51-51 though. Connolly's layup with 17.9 seconds to go was answered by the Terriers and the game was sent to overtime.
 
The Greyhounds will have a quick turnaround and head to No. 7 Maryland on Monday. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. at the XFINITY Center.