By Dustin Semore
FHU Information Director
With hundreds of alumni and family on campus celebration Homecoming, the (RV) Freed-Hardeman University Lady Lions kept the festivities going by claiming a 71-45 victory over the University of Tennessee Southern Firehawks.
The Lady Lions (5-1) used their range to tally 11 3-pointers, with the first coming from the hands of KJ White, whose long ball at 6:31 capped off a furious 9-0 start by the hosts. Brooklyn Crouch and Alaina Stiles joined the 3-point parade late in the quarter, with Stiles bucketing back-to-back trays to seal the opening quarter with a commanding 22-5 lead.
Tennessee Southern (0-2) would continue to struggle out of the gate, watching Raegan Purvine sink a 3-pointer to start a 7-0 run to begin the second quarter. Kaylee Odom converted an old-fashioned three-point play at 5:02 of the second quarter to give FHU a 25-point edge with a 32-7 lead. Carissa Curtis’ 3-pointer was followed by a Stiles layup to give FHU a 39-14 lead at halftime.
Despite the slow start, UT Southern would explode to begin the third quarter, scoring the first six points of the second half in the midst of a 10-3 run. A Firehawk long-ball cut the deficit down to 18 points at 3:09, but Kelsey Bender would tally four late points to move into the final quarter leading 51-30.
The fourth quarter featured the most scoring of the night, with the teams combining for 35 points down the stretch; however, FHU’s early lead never saw the Lady Lion lead dip below 20 points. Picking up time late, Katie Arms tallied five quick points after a layup and a 3-pointer to but a bow on the 71-45 victory.
FHU was deadly from deep, out-scoring UTS from long range 33-6. The Lady Lions also moved the ball well, recording 15 team assists to the Firehawks’ two helpers.
Kayle Odom led the FHU offense with 12 points, while Carissa Curtis was 3-6 from long range to help her to 11 points. Kelsey Bender and Alaina Stiles were both in double figures with 10 points each. Bender also led FHU with six rebounds, with Brooklyn Crouch swiping four steals.
