ADRIAN, Mich. -- The Siena Heights women's basketball team fell to Rochester, 93-83, in a double-overtime WHAC Tournament semifinal that was played over two days in the SHU Fieldhouse. The game began on Saturday before a power outage halted play late in the second quarter and then finished on Sunday.
Peyton Banks led SHU with 31 points and eight rebounds over the two days. E'Anna Won added 16 points and eight rebounds while Kayla Hinton finished with 13 points and five assists.
Rochester (20-10) was led by Celeste Mershimer, who totaled 29 points, and Elysia Mattos, who compiled 26 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.
With their win, the Warriors clinched an automatic bid to the NAIA Tournament, joining regular-season WHAC champ Indiana Tech in the national field. The two Warrior teams will match up Monday in the WHAC Tournament final.
Siena Heights (24-6) will await word on a potential at-large bid.
Friday's stoppage came with Rochester ahead 31-23 with 1:43 remaining in the second quarter. The Saints had held a 21-11 lead before the Warriors went on a 19-point run to take the lead.
Lights flickered right after a foul call Friday before the lights over the main court failed, thus bringing an end to the action until 5 p.m. Saturday.
The Warriors opened the day -- and closed the second quarter -- on a 6-2 run and built a 37-25 halftime lead. They stretched their largest lead to 40-27 before SHU chipped away.
A 13-2 stretch by Siena Heights, with contributions from six different scorers, helped the hosts pull within 44-43. The Saints finally tied the contest back up on a 3-point play by Banks, making the score 49-49 late in the third.
Rochester opened up a 60-51 edge in the fourth until the Saints made another comeback. Banks twice forged ties with back-to-back free throws -- first at 62-62 and then at 64-64 with 1:04 left for the final points in regulation.
Banks hit a pair of freebies with 48 seconds left in the first overtime period to give SHU a 74-72 lead, but a layup by Mattos forced a second OT.
Rochester took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Mershimer with 3:08 remaining in the second OT. That gave RU an 80=77 advantage.
Two free throws by Banks pulled SHU within 81-80 before Rochester closed the contest with a 12-3 stretch.
