HARTSVILLE, S.C. - The Coker University women's basketball team battled, but fell in their South Atlantic Conference contest to visiting Lincoln Memorial on Saturday (Nov. 30) by a score of 69-64.
Coker opened with a strong first quarter and built an 11-5 lead over the first 10 minutes. The Cobras jumped out to a 6-2 lead, before LMU would get within 6-5 with a layup from Lauren Flowers just shy of the halfway point of the quarter. The Cobras would close the frame on a 5-0 run headed to the second.
Lincoln Memorial won the second quarter 21-15, and the teams went to the half tied 26-26. The teams traded buckets in the first minute, before LMU would go on a run to tie the game at 13-13 less than three minutes into the frame. LMU would take its first lead in the game at 16-15 with 5:45 to play in the half, before the teams would play to an 18-18 deadlock with three minutes to play in the half. The two teams would go bucket-for-bucket until the end of the half, remaining tied.
The Cobras would claim the third quarter 20-17 to take a three-point lead to the fourth quarter. After LMU took a brief lead in the period, the teams would battle back and forth to a 35-35 tie with 4:45 to play in the quarter. Coker would take a four-point lead at the three-minute mark on scores from Ashauntee Nelson and Saquita Joyner, before the Cobras would later extend their lead to seven and then nine. LMU would get back within three in the final minutes of the third, as Coker took a 46-43 lead to the fourth.
The two teams played to an early 48-48 tie in the fourth, before playing to a 50-50 deadlock three minutes into the frame. The teams would go back and forth before locking up again at 57 with under five minutes to play, before Lincoln Memorial would sieze momentum and take over the game for the victory. The Railsplitters built a lead of as many as six, before finishing off the five-point victory.
Nelson led the Cobras with 20 points on the afternoon, just one point shy of her career-high. Erin Houser was the other Cobra in double figures with 10 points, while seven others contributed points on the day. Houser led the Cobras on the glass with five rebounds, while Hope Richardson pulled down three. Houser and Nelson each collected two rebounds in the game, while Janell Horton, Shay Jackson and Amanda Cherry each had one. Horton and Cherry each had four assists on the day, while Houser, Nelson and Hayley Kropp each had one. Nelson paced the Cobras with three steals on the day, while six other Cobras had swipes in the contest. Richardson had three of Coker's four blocks, while Nelson had the other.
The Cobras are back on the floor next Saturday (Dec. 7) to host Mars Hill in South Atlantic Conference play. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. from the DeLoach Center, with video and live stats available at www.cokercobras.com.
McDonald's Player of the Game - Ashauntee Nelson