Box Score

ANNVILLE, Pa. - Widener University won its second-ever Commonwealth Conference championship Saturday, outlasting Lebanon Valley College in a thrilling double-overtime, 75-72 victory.

The Pride (18-9) earn the CC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, their first trip to the Dance since 2004. LVC ends the season at 17-9 overall.

Widener's Beth Dessart Mager was named MVP of the tournament with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Barbara Fleming drained 24 points.

LVC's Suzie Noyes turned in a career-high 25 points to go with 13 rebounds and four steals.

LVC went to the line 43 times but made just 27 attempts while shooting 35.6 percent overall; the Pride were no better from the stripe, making 20-of-35 tries in a highly physical game.

Eryn Schultz drained a deep three-pointer from a foot past the men's arc with 46 seconds left in regulation to put LVC up three, but Fleming answered with an even deeper trey with 16 seconds to go to tie the game before Schultz missed a close-range jumper just before the buzzer.

Both teams went into overtime decimated by foul trouble, with LVC missing point guard Andrea Hoover and Widener without pivots Casey Pritz and Becky Tyler. The extra period came down to who made foul shots, with LVC extending a three-point lead on Megan Bish's freebie before Katie Gallagher canned a three-pointer to tie with 1:06 in the first OT.

Lori Lidlow, who finished with 17 points overall, then made one of two free throws, and Gallagher likewise made a single shot  before both Lidlow and Mager missed last-try shots, sending the game into double overtime.

Noyes put LVC ahead immediately into the second extra frame with a layup off the tip, but Gallagher and Fleming took the lead with back-to-back baskets, and Mager tacked on a foul shot to go up three. Lidlow's layup cut the lead to a point with 1:37 to go, but the Dutchmen couldn't find another shot and were eventually forced to foul.

Lindsey Isler went to the line with 31 seconds left and made just one shot, keeping the door open for LVC, but Lidlow missed her layup try at the other end. Isler again went to the line but missed both shots, and after Noyes came down with the rebound, she lost the ball to Mager, who went to the line and made one shot.

With four seconds to try and tie, Lidlow came upcourt and heaved up a desperation three from 35 feet, but it clanged off the front iron and Widener was celebrating their second conference championship.