HOW IT HAPPENED:
Clark built a nine point lead as Kacey Legare (Chicopee, Mass.) found Wilder open underneath the basket for an easy hoop that made the score, 41-32 heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Smith opened the final stanza with three straight three-pointers – two from Lauren Bondi (Burnaby, BC, Can./Notre Dame Secondary) and the other from Meghan Holland (Atherton, Calif./Sacred Heart Prepatory) - in the first two minutes of the quarter to knot the score at 41-41.
 
Then, when Holland scored inside two minutes later, the Pioneers had their first lead of the game.
 
Clark, meanwhile, was struggling to find its offense as Smith went on that 11-0 run, going 0-for-4 from the field and committing a turnover.
 
Maya Kerstetter (Northampton, Mass.) however, kickstarted the Cougars moments after they fell behind when she dropped in an off balance jumper as the shot clock expired.
 
Kerstetter went on to make three free throws over the next two minutes and then back-to-back hoops from Ogechi Ezemma (Hope Valley, R.I.) put Clark in front, 50-45.
 
The game was still in doubt after Bondi knocked down a short baseline jumper with 1:08 to play, making the score 53-51.
 
Clark then found itself down to four seconds on the shot clock on the ensuing possession when Wilder dropped in a huge corner three-pointer to beat the clock and give the Scarlet and White breathing room and send them on to victory.

The difference was at the free throw line, where Clark shot 30-of-41 from the charity stripe, while Smith, who took 20 three-point shots, was 12-for-20 from the line. The Cougars held a 47-39 edge on the glass and a 13-4 advantage in second chance points. Both teams shot under 30 percent from the field.