HENDERSON — The Freed-Hardeman University Lady Lion basketball team opened their season by hosting the Bearcats of Rust (Miss.) College. Despite a slow start for both squads, FHU took advantage of a 28-7 second quarter to earn a 72-48 victory.
It took a little more than three minutes, but
Carissa Curtis got the Lady Lions (1-0) on the board first with a fastbreak layup at 6:51. The Lady Lion defense stifled the Bearcats with the visitors going 0-10 from the floor before registering their first field goal with a layup at 1:32. Curtis answered in turn with a 3-pointer to help keep the Lady Lions ahead before an answering 3-pointer ended the first quarter with a 9-9 stalemate.
"We definitely had some first game jitters to start but once we settled in, I thought we had some really good moments," said first-year head coach
Abby Stutts. "Some things didn't go our way early, missed some easy shots, had some foul trouble, but we had several girls step up and really helped us get going."
FHU then set the net aflame with a 3-pointer from
Lucy Curry sandwiching a pair of
Rachel Satterly triples to help the Lady Lions score 13 unanswered points to take a 22-9 lead over Rust (0-1) with
Lilly Kee's layup at 4:40. Curtis registered the final eight points for FHU with a pair of 3-pointers and two free throws to help FHU go into the break holding a 37-16 lead.
Rust's shooting got back on track in the third quarter, utilizing a set of 6-0 runs to close the gap to a 45-28 lead for FHU, but
Brooklyn Crouch's long ball at 1:45 pushed the Lady Lions to 50 points over the Bearcats' 29. Late free throws from Satterly helped to a 55-32 lead moving into the final frame.
The Lady Lions went on a set of six-point runs before Reece Moore joined Kee ot put the icing on the cake with Moore connecting for a 3-pointer and Kee's jumper finalizing the score on a 72-48 victory.
Stutts feels confident after collecting her career's first win: "It feels good! There have been a lot of firsts for me becoming head coach these past couple of months but getting that first win is extremely special. I'll never experience coaching that first game again, so proud of our girls for making it an exciting one."
The Lady Lions showed their strength down low, bucketing 32 points in the paint to Rust's 14.
Lilly Kee led her name be heard loud and clear with a game-high 16 point debut where she was two rebounds away from a double-double with a team-high eight boards.
Carissa Curtis was 3-9 from long range to help her score 15 points while
Kelsey Bender and
Rachel Satterly each tallied 10.
Up Next
The Lady Lions have a short turnaround, visiting Blue Mountain Christian (Miss.) University on October 26 with a 2:00 p.m. tipoff.
