HENDERSON, Tenn. - If there were any questions about the potential that the 2009-10 version of the Freed-Hardeman Lady Lion basketball team has, those questions may have been answered on Saturday afternoon.
The No. 6 Lady Lions used physical defense and hot perimeter shooting to build a 22-point halftime lead, and never looked back in a 69-39 win over No. 22 Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) in the final game of the LionBacker Classic.
The early moments saw both teams trading 3-pointers back-and-forth. FHU's
Hannah Parsley nailed two from behind the arc while
Tara Deatheridge added another, but AUM had an answer in the form of junior Carlie Ainsworth whose third 3-pointer of the game cut FHU's lead to 12-11 at the 15:00 mark.
After that shot, the Lady Lion defense began to make scoring a lot more difficult for the Senators.
Freed-Hardeman outscored AUM, 28-7, in the remaining 15:00 of the half while forcing the Senators into 16 turnovers. Meanwhile, the Lady Lions continued their efficiency from the floor, shooting 51.7 percent from the field in the first half and 53.8 percent from 3-point range to build a 40-18 halftime lead. The stretch included a 15-0 run that saw Deatheridge and Parsley connect on 3-pointers on three consecutive trips.
FHU's shooting touch fell off a bit in the second half, but its defensive performance did not as the Lady Lions limited AUM to just 28.1 percent in the final 20:00.
Parsley and
Meribeth Boehler each scored a game-high 15 points while Deatheridge added 12 points, all of which came in the first half.
Jana Cross grabbed eight rebounds and
Maria Bagwell came off the bench to add seven boards.
AUM's 6-foot-4 post Cassie Moore was limited to just six points and shot 3-of-9 from the field. Ainsworth led the Senators with nine points but did not score in the final 35:00 of play.
The Lady Lions (2-0) prepare to renew an old rivalry as they travel to Nashville, Tenn., on Tuesday for an exhibition game with NCAA Division I Lipscomb University. Lipscomb is a former member of the TranSouth Conference.
Notes: Boehler was named to the All-Tournament team while Deatheridge was named tournament MVP...The FHU defense has forced a total of 51 turnovers in its first two games while committing only 29...The starting guard trio of Deatheridge, Parsley, and
Whitney Johnson continued their production from Friday night. They combined for 35 points, seven 3-pointers, eight assists and three steals. They also shot a combined 52.0 percent from the floor...Bethel (Tenn.) University defeated Midway (Ky.) College earlier in the day, 77-60. Bethel bested AUM, 67-54, on Friday.
