MCKENZIE, Tenn. — The No. 20 Freed-Hardeman University Lady Lions had a tough task beginning the 2023-24 campaign against the (RV) Philander Smith (Ark.) University Panthers Friday night in the Bethel University Classic. The Lady Lions were topped by the Panthers 47-37.

The first points of the season for Freed-Hardeman (0-1) came from the hand of Kalea Fleming-Ecklere who hit a 3-pointer at the 6:34 mark of the first quarter. Kaylee Odom would follow with a layup to tie the quarter at 5-5. Both teams were shaking off the rust of the offseason with both FHU and PSU combining for nine turnovers in the first 10 minutes of play. KJ White would end the quarter the way it began - with a triple, seeing the Lady Lions trail 12-10.

Philander-Smith (1-0) muscled their way inside the paint, scoring three field goals in the key during the second quarter. Elli Chumley kept up, hitting back-to-back layups to keep the Lady Lions within one possession of the Panther lead. A 3-pointer from PSU saw the Lady Lions trail by six before Raegan Purvine's last-minute layup sent the teams to the break with a 23-19 score in favor of Philander Smith.

White opened the second half with a 3-pointer to pull FHU within one, before a Panther free throw was followed by a Purvine layup to knot the game at 24-24. After that layup, the Lady Lions went cold, going 0-8 from the floor over the next 5:35. Meanwhile, the Panthers would bucket nine unanswered points to take a 33-24 lead. An Alaina Stiles free throw and a Carissa Curtis 3-pointer finished the third quarter for FHU, trailing PSU 35-28.

While the final frame was competitive for the Lady Lions, the lead by the Panthers proved insurmountable with the horn sounding a 47-37 defeat.

FHU was out-rebounded 35-20 in the loss, with Philander Smith tallying seven second chance points to FHU's zero.

FHU was led by fifth-year senior KJ White, who had 12 points, nine of which were from long range, while Carissa Curtis chipped in with six. Brooklyn Crouch and Alaina Stiles grabbed four rebounds each, with Kalea Fleming-Eckerle and Raegan Purvine both grabbing two steals.
 

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Up Next

The Lady Lions will regroup to hit the hardwood at Bethel's Crisp Arena again tomorrow, October 28, against the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy (Mo.) at 12:00 p.m.