CENTRAL, S.C. – The Lees-McRae College women's basketball team lead for most of the first quarter Tuesday evening at Southern Wesleyan, but could not hold on as the Bobcats fell by a final score of 84-69. The Bobcats move to 1-10 overall and 1-4 in conference play with the defeat.
Both teams struggled to score in the opening few minutes of the game Tuesday. The Bobcats got on the board with 2:30 off the clock thanks to a three-pointer by Markia Stacey. Once the lid was taken off the basket, the Bobcats scored 12 of the first 18 points of the contest to open a 12-6 lead on the Warriors at the first media timeout. SWU rallied to take the lead briefly, but LMC retook the lead right at the end of the period, 21-20.
The Warriors tied the score at 29-29 with a little over seven minutes remaining in the second quarter and kept tacking on points as they ended up outscoring LMC, 24-15 in the frame. Thanks to the 24-point outburst, SWU took a 44-36 lead into the half.
Following the break, the Bobcats cut the deficit to five thanks to a three-pointer from Breana Hardnett midway through the third quarter. However, that would be the extent of Lees-McRae's comeback as Southern Wesleyan exploded offensively to get its lead up to as many as 18 points. SWU eventually won by a final score of 84-69.
Hardnett led all Bobcat scorers with 15 points. Stacey, Brea Forbes and Jordan Soares all finished with 12 points. Additionally, Stacey dished out a season-high seven assists, and Caitlin Brown paced LMC with eight rebounds.
The Bobcats will return home to newly-renovated Williams Gymnasium Friday when they host Pfeiffer. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.
For more information of Lees-McRae Athletics, follow us on our social media sites on Twitter (@LMCBobcats), Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics) and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics)
-LMC-
