Thu, Jan 19, 2012 - [Women's Basketball]
PULASKI, Tenn. - The No. 1 Freed-Hardeman Lady Lions built a sizable lead, then fought to hold off Martin Methodist (Tenn.) College to earn their 17th straight win, defeating the RedHawks 68-60 on Thursday Night at the Curry Life Center.
FHU (17-2, 5-0) used a 19-5 run late in the first half to go ahead 39-22 with 15 seconds left in the first half, before Martin Methodist's Micah Anderson hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the Lady Lions to the break with a 14-point edge.
While the Lady Lions led the rest of the way, they could never add to their 17-point late first-half lead. The RedHawks pulled within seven points early in the second half thanks to a 9-0 run, but FHU answered with its own 9-0 run to push the lead back to 16 points.
Though Freed-Hardeman was unable to pull away, the Lady Lions also never let MMC (12-6, 2-3) truly get within striking distance of the lead. A second-chance basket by Vee Young made it a nine-point game with 2:57 left, but FHU countered with two quick baskets to take a 67-54 lead inside two minutes to play.
Missed free throws down the stretch kept the final margin from growing, as the Lady Lions missed four of their five attempts in the last 1:25. Young's two free throws with 20 seconds left accounted for the game's final points, as the RedHawks chose not to foul afterward.
In a game that featured two of the NAIA's best rebounding teams, FHU won the battle of the boards, 54-45, and had 23 offensive rebounds to 15 for the RedHawks. Maria Bagwell and Hayley Newby both had double-doubles, Bagwell with 14 points and 19 rebounds and Newby with 11 points and 17 rebounds. The freshman scored all 11 of her points and grabbed all but two of her rebounds in the first half.
Natalie Shumpert led FHU's scoring effort with 19 points while Hannah Parsley and Grace Alonso de Armino added nine apiece.
The Lady Lions return to the Brewer Sports Center on Saturday to host Mid-Continent (Ky.) University at 2:00 PM.
