BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Holding the second seed in the Mid-South Conference tournament, the No. 2 Freed-Hardeman University Lady Lions used a 22-point first quarter to dispatch the seventh-seeded Cumberland University Phoenix, 73-58.
After
Ally Weathers got the Lady Lions (25-3) rolling with a jumper, it was a set of 3-pointers from
Rachel Satterly that opened up a 9-0 run by FHU. The Phoenix answered with a 3-pointer, but
Lilly Kee took over to score six points in 14 seconds before
Elli Chumley's free throw gave the Lady Lions an 18-4 advantage. Layups from Chumley and
Jenna Satterly pushed the FHU lead to 22-7 at the end of the first quarter.
The Lady Lions eventually extended their lead over the Phoenix (15-14) to 20 points after a J. Satterly 3-pointer was bookended by layups from Kee. The Phoenix would battle back by rattling off 11 unanswered points before
Carissa Curtis connected from long range to end the first half with FHU leading 36-24.
Kee opened the second half with a layup, but Cumberland tallied back-to-back long balls to make the FHU lead single digits. The Lady Lions found their stride again down the stretch, out-scoring the Phoenix 14-2 over the next five minutes. A late 3-pointer from Cumberland cut into the lead, but the Lady Lions held a 52-35 lead after three complete quarters.
The Phoenix saved their best for last, scoring 23 points in the final frame. Though FHU only had four field goals in the fourth quarter, the Lady Lions were solid from the charity stripe, keeping the Phoenix at bay until the 73-58 victory was finalized.
The Lady Lions forced 19 Cumberland turnovers, converting those to 20 points. FHU dished out 16 assists to CU's nine.
Lilly Kee led all scorers with 24 points, including a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line.
Jenna Satterly had 17 points while
Rachel Satterly added 12.
Ally Weathers had a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
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Up Next
The Lady Lions battle the (RV) University of the Cumberlands Patriots, the tournament's No. 6 seed, on March 1 at 2:30 p.m. for a spot in the championship game.
