WINFIELD, Kan. – The York University women's basketball team posted a 76-74 victory at Southwestern after Sylvia Valentino hit a lay-up with 10 seconds left and the defense forced a last-second miss.
 
The Panthers are now 7-16 on the season, including 2-14 in KCAC action. 
 
Head coach Corinna Minjarez's team was led by Destiny Shepherd's 25-point, six-assist performance. Valentino netted 17 points while Alliyana Page narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. 
 
Monique Contreras added seven points. Olivia Adams and Lawson Hiltl had five points apiece. Adams also had six boards. Amaya Payne and Lauren Perez tallied four points apiece. Yareli Gomez grabbed five boards while Zoe Brown had seven rebounds to go along with two blocks. 
 
Up 5-2, Shepherd hit a pair of free throws. Adams connected on a lay-up before Hiltl found Shepherd for a three-point bucket. The back-and-forth first quarter saw York take a 20-15 lead on a free throw by Perez, but Southwestern rattled off the final five markers of the frame, knotting the score at 20-20. 
 
Trailing 24-23, Perez netted an inside basket before Contreras found Shepherd for a deep three-ball for a 28-24 edge. Trailing 29-28, Valentino and Page hit lay-ups. Page continued her scoring, netting the next four points, for a 36-29 lead. Holding a 38-37 margin, Shepherd, Contreras and Payne hit shots in the lane for a 44-37 advantage at intermission. 
 
Southwestern embarked on a 12-4 run to start the third quarter before Valentino's lay-up pushed the Panthers to the lead once again. Shepherd canned two fere throws at the 5:52 mark before Valentino nailed a pair for a five-point cushion. Clinging to a one-point margin, Contreras buried a three-point shot. Perez hit a free throw with 27 seconds to go in the frame. The visitors hit two foul shots just before the end of the quarter, making it 63-60. 
 
The tightly-contested game saw York take a 70-63 lead after two lay-ups from Shepherd and Valentino and a charity toss by Valentino, completing a three-point play. However, the visitors went on a 10-1 spurt to take a two-point advantage, 73-71, at the 1:50 mark. Minjarez's team responded when Shepherd canned a three-ball with 60 seconds remaining. 
 
 Tied at 74-74, Contreras hit Valentino for the game-winning lay-up. Southwestern called a time-out and the Panthers forced a miss on a three-ball, sealing the win. 
 
For the game, York hit 27-of-66 from the floor, including eight-of-28 from downtown. The team buried 14-of-22 from the free-throw line. The Panthers snagged 44 rebounds, including 15 on the offensive glass. Minjarez's team dished out 15 assists, had three blocks and scored 46 points in the paint. 
 
The Panthers return to action Wednesday when they travel to Kansas Wesleyan for a 6 p.m., contest. Live stats and video will be available at Yorkpanthers.com.