Alexandria, La.-- In what was their 25th Tournament appearance, The (13) Freed-Hardeman Lady Lions suffered a 79-61 loss to the (4) Central Methodist Eagles Friday night in the first round of the NAIA Tournament.

Despite the loss, the Lady Lions (20-13, 11-11 MSC) were able to get a collective effort from their team, with 20 points off the bench. It was Central Methodist's (28-5, 15-4 HAAC) energy of the defensive end that allowed them to get out in transition and create easy opportunities for their offense. Freed-Hardeman turned the ball over 20 times in this game, which led to many of  those fastbreak opportunities for the Eagles, who led 49-32 at the half.

The Lady Lions came out shooting the ball well in the second half and holding Central Methodist to just seven points in the third quarter. They showed life heading into the fourth quarter, only down 12 with just 10 minutes left to play. However, they were outscored 23-14 in the fourth, resulting in a 79-61 Central Methodist win.

As far as team stats, the Lady Lions shot 38% from the field, 37% from three and 60% from the free throw line. They were also +1 on the glass and accumulated 13 assists. 

In her final game as a Lady Lion, leading scorer Alyssa LeMay finished with 10 points and five boards. Reagen Floyd had an impressive individual performance with 18 points, shooting 7-12 from the field, two rebounds, two assists and three steals. 

Despite the disappointing end to the season, the Lady Lions improved their record from a year ago and will look to continue to improve next season under coach Joshua Epperson during his third season.