LEBANON, Tenn. - The injuries keep piling up for the Freed-Hardeman Lady Lions.
Without two-time All-American Jana Cross, who is sidelined with an ankle injury, the No. 3 Lady Lions split a pair of games at the Nationwide Classic at Cumberland University on Friday night and Saturday afternoon.
Despite suffering through a series of injuries to key players like Cross, FHU finished its pre-conference schedule with a record of 6-3 with all three losses coming to teams ranked in the pre-season top 25.
On Friday, FHU fell short against No. 21 University of the Cumberlands (Ky.), 76-68. Three-point shooting was a major difference as the Lady Lions shot a season-worst 18.2 percent (2-for-11) from behind the arc while the Lady Patriots connected on 8-of-20. Meribeth Boehler had a solid game in the post in the absence of Cross, scoring a career-high 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting.
Freed-Hardeman recovered on Saturday afternoon with a 60-55 win over No. 24 Loyola (La.) University. Tara Deatheridge and Whitney Johnson each scored 12 points in the win. Deatheridge also grabbed eight rebounds and swiped four steals.
FHU opens conference play on Thursday night at No. 4 Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) University in Nashville, marking its sixth consecutive game against an opponent ranked in the pre-season top 25.
