PIKEVILLE, Ky. – In their return to Mid-South Conference play, the Lady Lions (7-6, 1-5 MSC) fell 80-73 to Pikeville (7-4, 3-4) on Thursday night.

The Bears got out to a hot start, leading 7-0 after less than three minutes of play. But the Lady Lions went on a run to tie the game, and it would remain a tight contest until the final buzzer.

First-half turnovers kept FHU from taking any sort of large lead in the contest, but the Lady Lions were able to shoot 57 percent from the field. 3-point shooting and rebounding, though, helped Pikeville take a 41-36 lead into the break.

The Lady Lions were able to open up the second half with a 9-0 run to take a two-point lead with just over half of the third period gone. FHU was able to find their offense by getting the ball inside to Hannah Hughes, who scored 14 of her game-high 21 points in the second half.

The game was deadlocked at 64 with just over four minutes remaining in the contest, but a huge 3-pointer by the Bears gave them a lead, and offensive rebounds and free throws down the stretch led to their eventual win.

Alyssa LeMay and Caroline Chambers followed Hughes with 15 points each. KJ White closed out the double-digit scorers with 12 points.

The Lady Lions are scheduled to travel to the University of the Cumberlands on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. central standard time.