BOXSCORE MEADVILLE, Pa. --
Becky Hebert (Hilton) converted a layup with with :05 left to send the Devils to a 60-58 victory over Marietta in its season opener Friday at the Greg Richards '08 Memorial Tournament hosted by Allegheny College.
Hebert finished with a game-high 24 points -- she also grabbed seven rebounds -- and freshman point guard
Alexis Cheatham (Lockport) had 13 points and six assists to lead the Blue Devils to victory in the Fredonia State coaching debut of Linda Hill MacDonald.
Candice Alexander finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead Marietta. Heather Booth and Sierra Sigman finished with 10 points each.
Baskets by Alexander and Tori Dixon put Marietta on top 58-56 with 1:47 left. After a missed shot by Hebert, the Pioneers had a chance to push their lead out further. Fredonia State's
Jaimie Warren (Lakeview) thwarted that effort with a steal, which Cheatham converted into a layup with :44 left.
The Pioneers called a timeout prior to a missed three-point shot by Dixon. Hebert rebounded at the defensive end. Later at the offensive end, she rebounded a teammate's missed shot and score a put-back basket to give her team its final lead.
The game ended without Marietta attempting a final shot.
The Blue Devils led by as many as seven points and never trailed by more than three points. They shot 44.8 percent from the field and held Marietta to 35.2 percent, including just 2 of 24 from three-point range.
The teams played to a 29-all tie at the break. Hebert led all scorers with 10, and Cheatham had seven points. Marietta spread the scoring around, with nine different players scoring, led by Booth and Sigman with six points.
The Blue Devils are back in action Saturday against tournament host Allegheny. Game time is 8 p.m.
