By Jeremy Wright
FHU Sports Information Intern
The Freed-Hardeman University women’s basketball team (12-13, 6-11 MSC) fell to in-state rival Martin Methodist (7-12, 5-12 MSC) 87-77 in the opening round of the Mid-South Conference Tournament on Monday night.
This opening round matchup featured the No. 8 seeded Lady Lions hosting the No. 9 seeded Redhawks in the teams’ third matchup of the season. To start the game, the Lady Lions got out to a slim early advantage at 9-6 early in the first quarter. The Redhawks would then heat-up and use a 12-6 run to take a three-point advantage of their own. The visitors would keep their three-point lead going into the second quarter.
Midway through the second quarter, the Redhawks would extend their lead to eight points at 34-26. The Lady Lions struggled to find their rhythm, and the visitors continued to stretch their lead. Going into halftime, the score was 47-32 in favor of the visitors.
To start the second half, Martin Methodist picked up right where they left off, stretching its lead to as many as 20 points early in the third quarter. The Lady Lions would gain some life, notching a 12-4 run to cut the Redhawk lead to 12 points midway through the third quarter. For the remainder of the quarter, the Redhawks would lead by as many as 13 points, and the Lady Lions would trail by as little as nine points. Going into the fourth quarter, the Redhawks held a 65-53 lead.
To start the fourth quarter, the Lady Lions were able to get some momentum going, cutting the Redhawk lead to three points with just under six minutes remaining in regulation. The Redhawks would get crucial scores on offense to fight off a Lady Lion comeback. With under one minute remaining in regulation, the Redhawks once again stretched their lead to eight points. The team would convert their free-throws, as the Lady Lions were forced to foul and put the finishing touches on the road victory.
Alyssa LeMay poured in 23 points to lead the Lady Lions in scoring.
Reagan Floyd chipped in 13 points, and KJ White along with Caroline Chambers scored 10 points in the contest to round out the double-figure scorers.
