EC and Pasadena City College met for the third time this season and it did not disappoint. With 40 seconds left in regulation sophomore guard Nisja Bass drained both free throws to give the Warriors a 62-58 lead.

The Lancer’s Judith Espinoza made a layup that cut the lead, 62-60 with 11 seconds remaining. On the inbound pass, Lancer Regina Baker’s steal and layup made it 62-62 with six seconds on the clock. EC turned the ball over and Espinoza missed a jumper at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime.

“They’re a good team too,” Bass said. “They’re going to come out and go on runs as well, we just have to play our game, be smart and limit turnovers.”

EC outscored the Lancers 9-2 in overtime to advance in the SoCal regional playoffs with a 71-64 win.

“Every game is going to be tough in the playoffs but we’ve played playoff basketball all year long so I think that helps prepare us,” coach Steve Shaw said. “We got rattled but we recovered our poise in time to win it in overtime.”

EC led 30-27 at the half. South Coast Conference south division Co-Player of The Year Shontalene Trudeau got off to a rough start with three early fouls but her teammates picked up the slack. Freshman guard Kyla Jolly led EC at halftime with nine points.

“We came out ready to play today and we answered every call they gave us,” Trudeau said. “Some of them were hustle plays but a lot could’ve been prevented, just making smart decisions and collecting myself but in the end it was fun because my other teammates all stepped up and that’s great. That’s what makes our team unique, everybody can step up.”

Bass stepped up in a major way, finishing with 21 points, six rebounds, five assists and five steals. Trudeau added 13 points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes.

“She’s always so solid for us,” Shaw said about Bass. “She made a big three, she attacked the basket and she played great defense. Just a fabulous job down the stretch by her.”

EC outrebounded the Lancers 50-44 and played solid defense in overtime. Bass scored six of the nine points to close out the Lancers.

The Warriors (21-8) await the winner of Saturday night’s game between East Los Angeles and Antelope Valley.