Cougar News
Women's Basketball - Sat, Jan 21, 2012
HENDERSON, Tenn. - Ryan Smith and the Mid-Continent University women's basketball team knew that in order to have a chance to pull an upset on the road at NAIA #1 Freed-Hardeman, the Cougars would have to play to near perfection in all facets of their game. Unfortunately for Mid-Continent, they made some key mistakes late in the first half and early in the second half that saw the game get away from them.
The top-ranked Lady Lions (18-2, 6-0) used a 15-0 run that spanned the halftime intermission to cruise to an 83-52 win over the Cougars.
MCU hung close in the early going, though they never led and the game was only tied once. The Cougars trailed by just two points at 8-6 when the Lady Lions first began to stretch their lead, using a 9-0 run to take a 17-6 lead. The Cougars would hold the margin there through the middle stages of the half, but trailing 33-22 with just over two minutes remaining, the Cougars watched as Freed-Hardeman closed the period on a 7-0 run and at the break, the Lady Lions held the advantage 40-22. The Lady Lions sustained that run after the break, scoring the first eight points of the second half as well, pushing the run out to a 15-0 spurt and essentially putting the game out of reach. The Cougars fought hard, but they were unable to get the lead back below the 2-=point mark, as Freed-Hardeman pulled away to the win 83-52.
Stephanie Malone bounced back after a pair of tough games earlier in the week to notch her 10th double double of the season. Malone led all scorers in points with 18, and she also had a game-high 15 rebounds. Shanice Martin added 10 points in the game. The Cougars were able to hold Freed-Hardeman's leading scorer Natalie Shumpert to just eight points, though the Lady Lions more than made up for it from other players. As a team, MCU shot 19-for-59 (32.2%) from the field, 2-for-13 (15.4%) from beyond the arc, and 12-for-16 from the charity stripe.
Mid-Continent will return home on Thursday night to open a three game home stand. The Cougars will play host to the Toppers of Blue Mountain College (3-14, 0-6)on Thursday night at 6 p.m.
The top-ranked Lady Lions (18-2, 6-0) used a 15-0 run that spanned the halftime intermission to cruise to an 83-52 win over the Cougars.
MCU hung close in the early going, though they never led and the game was only tied once. The Cougars trailed by just two points at 8-6 when the Lady Lions first began to stretch their lead, using a 9-0 run to take a 17-6 lead. The Cougars would hold the margin there through the middle stages of the half, but trailing 33-22 with just over two minutes remaining, the Cougars watched as Freed-Hardeman closed the period on a 7-0 run and at the break, the Lady Lions held the advantage 40-22. The Lady Lions sustained that run after the break, scoring the first eight points of the second half as well, pushing the run out to a 15-0 spurt and essentially putting the game out of reach. The Cougars fought hard, but they were unable to get the lead back below the 2-=point mark, as Freed-Hardeman pulled away to the win 83-52.
Stephanie Malone bounced back after a pair of tough games earlier in the week to notch her 10th double double of the season. Malone led all scorers in points with 18, and she also had a game-high 15 rebounds. Shanice Martin added 10 points in the game. The Cougars were able to hold Freed-Hardeman's leading scorer Natalie Shumpert to just eight points, though the Lady Lions more than made up for it from other players. As a team, MCU shot 19-for-59 (32.2%) from the field, 2-for-13 (15.4%) from beyond the arc, and 12-for-16 from the charity stripe.
Mid-Continent will return home on Thursday night to open a three game home stand. The Cougars will play host to the Toppers of Blue Mountain College (3-14, 0-6)on Thursday night at 6 p.m.
