Katie Moore
Pippa Passes, KY: The Alice Lloyd College Lady Eagles exploded out of the gates on a 19-2 run, and used that momentum to defeat the visiting Cincinnati Christian University Lady Eagles, 84-69. The crucial River States Conference contest was played on Tuesday, February 5th.
The highly anticipated matchup featured the 2nd and 3rd seeded teams in the Western Division, so a lot was at stake. In the first period, Alice Lloyd got off to a blazing start against a very formidable opponent.
Sparked by nine early points courtesy of sophomore guard Haley Hall, ALC roared ahead 19-2 with 3:55 remaining.
Just over a minute later, the host squad saw their momentum broken when freshman guard Hannah Kash suffered a knee injury on a drive to the hoop (her status is unknown at this time). When the period ended, the score stood 21-8.
In the second quarter, the home club refocused. Junior forward Katie Moore and sophomore center Alexandria Clifton got in on the fun, as they led a Lady Eagle resurgence. Eventually, at the 1:23 mark, sophomore guard Ali May gave her club their biggest lead of the night on a trifecta (43-20).
Naturally, the talented CCU club made a late push. They would close with a quick 8-1 spurt but still trail 44-28 entering intermission.
The third stanza saw the momentum swing once again. Initially, the home club was able to maintain a comfortable lead in the 15-17 point range the bulk of the way. However, as the clock went below the three-minute mark, the host Eagles saw Clifton forced to leave the contest with an injury of her own. Cincinnati would then close out on a small run to trail 63-51 at the horn.
The final period saw the visitors reveal their true colors. Boosted by the play of guard Kamiylah Bomar, CCU would fight back to within just five (69-64) with 6:11 still remaining in the contest. The question on everyone’s mind was, could they complete the miracle comeback?
Luckily, for the Caney Creek fans, the answer was no. On their next possession, ALC’s Moore calmly drilled a 23-foot bomb to stop the bleeding. Defensively, her club then buckled down on the opposite end of the court. Finally, senior guard Courtney Vasquez proceeded to swish six consecutive free throws over the next three minutes. When the dust eventually settled at the 3:03 mark, the lead was back up to fourteen ((78-64), and the game could be chalked up in the victory column.
For the victors (14-8; 10-5 RSC), Moore led all scorers with 21 points as she finished 7-11 from the floor and a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe. She added 6 rebounds. Hall was right behind with 16 points and led the way with 4 assists, and 2 blocks. Clifton finished with 11 points and fortunately was able to return back to the game. Vasquez sank 8-10 free throws and chipped in with 10 points while adding 3 steals. Senior center Emilee Harrell sank some big shots to chip in with 10 points and led on the night with 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.
The victors shot 48.2% (27-56) from the floor and 37.5% (3-8) from long range. They finished a solid 81.8% (27-33) from the charity line while adding 33 rebounds, 8 assists, and 10 steals.
CCU (14-12; 10-5 RSC) was led on the night by Bomar with 19 points. Her squad shot 38.1% (24-63) from the field and 37.5% (6-16) from deep. They finished a perfect 100% (15-15) from the charity stripe while adding 29 rebounds, 10 assists, and 9 steals.
ALC returns to action on Saturday, February 8th when they take to the road for an important RSC showdown against first-place Indiana University Kokomo with major seeding implications on the line. Tipoff is set for 1:00 pm.