Fri, Mar 5, 2010 - [Women's Basketball]
HENDERSON, Tenn. - Hannah Parsley picked a big night to have a big game.
The sophomore scored a game-high 26 points, 16 coming in the second half, to lead the Lady Lions to a 72-60 win over No. 17 Bethel (Tenn.) University and a trip to the TranSouth Conference championship game on Monday night.
It was Parsley's shooting that helped trigger a 17-2 run to open the second half for Freed-Hardeman, which took a 28-27 lead into the locker room after a first half that saw neither team shoot the ball with much success. Bethel shot 34.6 percent in that half while FHU shot 29.4 percent, but the Lady Lions were able to make up for it with 12 offensive rebounds that turned into 15 second-chance points.
FHU, however, got all the offensive efficiency it needed immediately after the break, scoring on seven of its first eight possessions of the second half to build a 16 point lead with 15:56 left.
Bethel quickly pulled back within 11 after scoring the game's next five points and still trailed by that same margin with 12:55 to play following a Nina Djokovic putback. Freed-Hardeman then killed any thoughts of a Bethel rally with an 11-1 run - punctuated by another deep 3-pointer by Parsley - to go ahead 60-39 with 9:28 on the clock.
The Lady Wildcats scored six straight to get within 15, but they would get no closer until a minute left in the game when it didn't matter any more.
Parsley was nearly automatic from outside, connecting on 6-of-7 3-pointers, most of which came from several feet behind the arc. Jana Cross added 14 points despite being limited with foul trouble and fouling out with 5:01 left in the game. Whitney Johnson chipped in 12 points while Meribeth Boehler grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds in helping FHU to a 47-30 advantage on the glass.
Bethel was led by Djokovic with 20 points while Anna Trull and Tristian Johnson each had 10.
The Lady Lions now face off against three-time defending conference champion Union (Tenn.) University on Monday night in Jackson at 7:00 PM. FHU last won a conference tournament title in 2006, capping off a run of three straight banners.
