Although it wasn't pretty, the North Country women's basketball team was able to keep its unbeaten streak alive as the Saints took down Jefferson Community College, 69-66, in overtime Saturday afternoon at home.
With the win, the Saints, who are currently ranked second in the NJCAA Division III national poll, will now head into the second semester with a 10-0 record.
Despite the game being closer than he would have liked, North Country coach Jerrad Dumont was still pleased to come away with the victory.
"It was a very, very exciting game," Dumont said. "We were trying to make plays for ourselves instead of making plays for other people, but we had 31 offensive rebounds, which pulled us through.
"I think our athleticism really helped out. Jefferson is very big, and I think we attacked the glass hard (Saturday). I didn't think we finished very well, but I think that we hit the offensive glass and we hit it hard enough to win."
Trailing by five at halftime, the second-ranked Saints made good use of their rebounding advantage to climb their way back.
For the game, the Saints tallied 22 second-chance points, while also racking up 28 points off of turnovers.
As a result, the Saints were able to outscore Jefferson, 43-35, in the second half and overtime to take the game.
In the victory, North Country was paced by Courtney Boyea and Simonemmerson Roberts, who notched 19 points and 17 points, respectively.
As for Jefferson, the Cannoneers (6-4) were led by Kristin McGraw and Alyssa Crosby, who each racked up 18 points.
With the first semester now behind them, Dumont is eager to refresh and get ready for the second half of the season.
"I think that everybody needs some time to go home and relax with their family," Dumont said. "Family is the most important thing, so I think that giving everybody that time at home and getting the first semester out of the way is good. I think that we'll finish the semester very well academically as a team, and I look forward to our second semester."
The Saints will be back in action Thursday, Jan. 8 when they take on SUNY Adirondack at home at 5 p.m.