WILMINGTON, Del. – Kyla McMakin led five Saint Louis double-figure scorers with a game-high 27 points, tournament Most Outstanding Player Julia Martinez recorded the second triple-double in SLU women's basketball history, and the third-seeded Billikens secured the first NCAA Tournament bid in program history with a 91-85 overtime victory over top-seeded Massachusetts Sunday in the Atlantic 10 Championship final at CHASE Fieldhouse.
 
The Billikens, playing in the A-10 Championship title game for the first time, improved to 17-17 with their 11th win in 12 games and sixth consecutive triumph. They will learn their seeding, opponent and regional site during next Sunday's NCAA Selection Show.
 
McMakin's scoring performance lifted her season total to a school-record 591 points, surpassing Theresa Lisch's previous school mark of 574 points set in the 2008-09 campaign.
 
Martinez, who has flirted with a triple-double earlier this season, finished with 17 points and game highs of 13 rebounds, 12 assists and four steals. She was joined on the All-Tournament team by McMakin and Brooke Flowers.
 
Kennedy Calhoun and Peyton Kennedy scored 15 points apiece and Flowers netted 13. Kennedy and Flowers pulled down seven rebounds apiece.
 
Calhoun drilled a 3-pointer and a jumper on SLU's first two fourth-quarter possessions to put the Billikens in front 64-56. UMass (26-6) chipped away and went on top 69-68 on a Sam Breen 3-pointer with 2:18 left.
 
SLU regained the lead on McMakin's banked-in jumper and made it 72-69 when Flowers rebounded her own miss and narrowly beat the shot clock with a layup.
 
It was 72-71 following a UMass basket. On the Billikens' ensuing possession, Martinez rebounded a miss to give her the triple-double. McMakin was fouled seconds later and made two free throws for a three-point Saint Louis lead.
 
The Minutewomen's Sydney Taylor was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 8.8 seconds left and made two of three free throws. After McMakin swished two from the stripe, Taylor connected from beyond the arc at the buzzer to send the Billikens into their second overtime contest of the season knotted at 76.
 
The extra session began with the teams exchanging single free throws, and UMass took its only lead of overtime, 79-77, with a pair from the line. But McMakin drilled a trey at the 2:02 mark following one of Martinez's game-high five offensive rebounds to ignite a 12-0 run, and the Billikens completed their history-making victory.
 
The game began with both teams hitting their first three shots, and the first quarter ended in a 19-19 tie. Taylor drilled 3-pointers on the first two UMass possession of the second quarter, but Saint Louis answered with an 18-8 run for a 37-33 Billiken advantage. UMass scored the last four points of the period for a 37-all deadlock at intermission.
 
The Minutewomen scored on six of their first nine third-quarter possessions, but the Billikens kept pace with points on seven of their first 10 touches. A Calhoun 3-pointer broke a 49-49 stalemate, and Flowers scored on the next possession to put SLU in front 54-49.
 
UMass pulled even at 54, but Kennedy connected on a triple and a 2-pointer to give the Bills a 59-56 edge going into the final period.