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Brighton ices Murray from free-throw line in OT

(Brennan Smith | Special to the Tribune) Sidney Kaufmann.

Murray • Brighton’s Sidney Kaufmann attributed it to the Skittles candy she had before the game Thursday — a little extra boost to get her to a season-high 20 points that proved instrumental in a thrilling 48-43 win over Murray.

“I think that woke me up,” she said.

In a game when Brighton (4-3) didn’t trail until extra time, Kaufmann was the catalyst not only on the offensive end but also the defensive end in frustrating Murray (6-3) offensive star Isis Beh to 13 points.

The Bengals triple teamed Beh whenever she was fed the ball, a technique Kaufmann said the team worked on in practice.

“We’ve never seen this team before, but we knew that she’s amazing, and so we just worked on defending her and shutting her down,” she said.

Brighton jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead to start the game and held a 14-11 advantage at the end of the first quarter behind eight points from Kaufmann. But she also picked up two fouls, forcing Brighton coach Jim Gresh to send her to the bench for the entire second quarter.

Sophomore guard Emily Moss took over from there, knocking down a 3 and a long 2-pointer to keep Murray at a distance, heading into halftime with a 23-17 lead.

“We have a lot of people that can pick up the slack and score, like Emily Moss — shout out to her,” Kaufmann said. “She did amazing.”

The Spartans stormed back after the break, pushing the pace for two easy baskets from junior guard Haylie Jensen to make it 25-23. But Kaufmann responded again, using an array of post moves to score four tough points to give the Bengals a 29-25 cushion heading into the fourth quarter.

“She’s got some good inside moves that she uses, so I just say, ‘Go ahead,’” Gresh said.

As regulation wound down, Moss, who finished with 9 points, missed a free throw and Murray charged down the court, where Jensen tossed up a shot to make it 39-39 to send the game to overtime.

The Bengals iced the game from the line, hitting 7 of 8 free throws to close out the road win.

“We played tough the entire game, and I knew we weren’t going to give up,” Kaufmann said. “I know my team and I love my teammates and we don’t give up.”

BRIGHTON 48, MURRAY 43 in OT <br>• Brighton never trails in regulation and makes 7 of 8 free throws in overtime to seal the win. <br>• Senior forward Sidney Kaufmann scores a season-high 20 points to lead the Bengals. <br>• Junior Murray forward Isis Beh is held to 13 points after averaging 17 per game this season.