ALLENDALE, Mich. - With senior Melanie Oliver scoring 18 points and grabbing 16 rebounds, Drury pulled away in overtime for a 92-85 victory over No. 25 Grand Valley State in the season opener for both teams here on Monday night.
Drury placed all five starters in double-figures, with senior Lindsay Ballweg adding 17 points and four assists and senior Caitlin Shouse scoring 15 points and grabbing seven rebounds as the Lady Panthers battled back
"Our kids just kept believing we were going to pull this out and win the ballgame," Drury coach Steve Harold said. "It was just a great, great team effort tonight. There are five coaches and 12 players here believing in what we're doing, and I'm just tickled to death about how they played."
Junior point guard Ja'Nell Jones added 13 points and eight assists for the Lady Panthers who trailed 40-33 at halftime.
Jasmine Padin had 19 points to lead Grand Valley State, which returned four starters from a team picked for second in the GLIAC North preseason poll and was ranked No. 13 in the country in the D-II Bulletin preseason poll.
Drury was down nine (46-37) early in the second half before putting together a run to go on top 56-54. and from there, it was nip and tuck until the overtime, when the Lady Panthers pulled away.
"I'm just so proud of our kids to be able to come on the road and play this well," Harold said. "When it went to OT, our whole crew stood up and said, 'We're not going to let this game get away from us."
The Lady Panthers return home to host the Drury Lady Panthers/Sleep Inn Classic this weekend, hosting Texas A & M-Commerce on Friday (6:15 p.m.) and Missouri Western on Saturday (5:15 p.m.).
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