GAFFNEY, S.C. – Senior guard Megan Thomas (Cresskill, N.J.) scored a team high 19 points in the Cobras 65-48 loss to Limestone College in Conference Carolinas women’s basketball action Monday, February 7 at the Timken Center in Gaffney, S.C.

Coming out of the half with a slight 27-24 edge, Limestone used a decisive 16-6 run to expand their lead to 13 points with 14:32 remaining in the second stanza. After Coker pulled to within one-point on Jasmine Altson’s (Sumter, S.C.) jumper, sophomore guard Stephanie Hayes (Hopkins, S.C.) and Maria Young (Asheville, N.C.) combined for three consecutive bombs from behind the arc before sophomore forward Ashley Robinson (Whittier, N.C.) added back-to-back buckets to stake the Saints to a 43-30 lead.

The Cobras outscored LC 11-8 over the next five minutes to close the deficit to single digits with 7:34 remaining in the game. Coker found the stroke from distance during the stretch as Cassie Kirby (Charlottesville, Va.) tickled the twine from 20 feet away while Thomas connected on a pair of long range strikes to close the gap to 50-41.

The momentum was short-lived as senior forward Nastashia Mitchell (Wildwood, Fla.) converted an and-1 to start a fatal 13-0 run. Mitchell added another score during the stretch while Young drained two three-point bombs to give Limestone a 63-41 advantage, their largest of the game, with 2:36 remaining in the game.

Shanice Cooper (Sumter, S.C.) scored four points down the stretch while Ashley Thompson (Columbia, S.C) netted three to help Coker close the game on an 8-2 jaunt. It would not be enough, however, as Limestone collected the 65-48 decision.

Limestone shot an astonishing 62.5% (15-of-24) from the floor, including 5-of-7 (71.4%) from long range, in the second half while holding the Cobras to an 8-for-32 (25%) clip from the field in the last 20 minutes. The Saints were dominant in the paint, holding a massive 38-14 advantage around the hoop while also outrebounding the Cobras by a 43-34 margin. The Saints also outscored Coker 16-11 off turnovers.

Thomas paced the Cobras with 19 points while Alston finished with nine points and three assists. Thompson pulled down a team-high six rebounds for Coker.

Young netted 23 points behind a 4-for-8 performance from behind the arc while Robinson turned in a solid performance with a season-high 13 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots. Hayes rounded out the double digit scoring with 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting from long distance and dished out a game-high six assists. Kaileigh West (Jacksonville, Ill.) finished with eight boards while Mitchell contributed seven points and four rebounds. Junior guard Lauren Pace (Suwanee, Ga.) handed out five assists.

The Cobras return to action Thursday, February 10 as they host Converse College. Game time is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Timberlake-Lawton Gymnasium.