Women's Basketball Uses Late Run to Get Past Bluefield

ATHENS, Tenn.- The women's basketball team won a defensive struggle on Monday, beating the Bluefield University Lady Rams 55-45. The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) win moved the team's record to 7-12 overall and 6-8 in the conference.

TWU scored the first 10 points of the game off two Camryn Brown three-pointers and jump shots by Julia Howard and Talley Lawson. The run stopped for the Lady Bulldogs, though, as Bluefield scored five straight points. Lawson ended the drought, and a Leslie Hames jump shot put the team ahead 14-5. Jalaya Lindsey hit a three-pointer that helped the team take a 17-9 lead into the second quarter.

Lindsey made it two consecutive baskets, moving the score to 19-13 early in the second quarter. After a Brown bucket, Jada Edwards hit a three-point basket to give the team a 24-17 advantage. Tennessee Wesleyan went into the half leading 27-21 after a Jordan White layup before the halftime buzzer.

As defense continued to be the theme of the game, the Lady Bulldogs did not score their first points of the second half until four minutes in, a Brown jumper, making the score 29-23. Edwards put the team over the 30-point mark with a jump shot, and Aubrey Long gave the team a two-possession lead with a pair of free throws. White's drive to the basket gave the team a 35-28 lead with 2:22 remaining in the third quarter. After Bluefield cut the lead down to two points, Edwards downed a layup to give the team a 37-33 lead at the third quarter break.

In the opening minute of the fourth quarter, Edwards and Lawson both scored to help the team lead 40-34. The momentum changed as Bluefield pulled within two points of the lead with 7:08 remaining. The Lady Bulldogs scored 15 of the 22 points to change the tone of the game, starting with free throws by Edwards. On their way to the ten-point win, White, Lawson, and Lindsey all scored, with Lawson's three-pointer putting the exclamation point on the win and moving the score to 52-41. Sloan Carpenter and Edwards knocked down free throws at the end of the game to push the team ahead by ten points at the end.

Edwards and Lawson both finished with 11 points in the win, while Brown added 10 points.

TWU will go back on the road for their next conference game on Wednesday against the University of Pikeville at 5:30 p.m.