CLINTON,S.C. ? After falling behind UNC Asheville by as many as 12 points in the first half, Presbyterian College women's basketball righted its ship and pulled within four at halftime on Saturday evening. The Bulldogs held on and earned a 67-58 victory at the Templeton Center.
Junior forward Lea Smith (Marion, N.C./McDowell) led the Blue Hose offense with 20 points, including 6-of-7 from the line. She also led PC on the glass with seven rebounds alongside sophomore guard Katlin Moore (Fort Mill, S.C./Charlotte Catholic (N.C.)).
Down 10 with four minutes remaining in the first half, sophomore guard sank back-to-back three-pointers off passes by freshman Kristen Stevens (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central) and Moore to start an 8-2 Blue Hose run over the next three minutes. Smith's two free throw shots pulled PC within one point, 29-28 with 1:17 on the clock.
The Bulldogs (9-15, 6-5 Big South) recovered from their brief scoring lapse and ended the half on two baskets by Ana Baker to retain a 34-30 lead.
Although Asheville scored the first basket of the second half, PC refused to go away, bringing the score within one twice. Smith's layup tied the score at 40 with 14:20 left to play. Over the next seven minutes the Bulldogs slowly rebuilt their lead to double digits, 58-46. The Blue Hose continued to chip away at the lead, and Moore's layup narrowed the gap to single digits, 63-54 with 2:37 left on the clock.
After a jumper by Stevens brought PC within seven, the Blue Hose were forced to foul in an attempt to regain possession. With only three team fouls in the half with just over a minute left in the game, head coach Ronny Fisher's squad fouled four times in 20 seconds to send the Bulldogs to the line.
Lindsey Thompson made two shots from the foul line for the Bulldogs before the team unintentionally fouled Stevens as she attempted a long-range jumper. She made both shots from the stripe, reducing the deficit to seven points, 65-58.
Mills fouled Asheville to send them to the line one last time, where Kendall Shepard ended the game with two made free throws, recording a nine-point victory for the Bulldogs who are now 6-5 in Big South play.
The Blue Hose sponsored the Women's Basketball Coaches Association ?Pink Zone' night in an effort to raise awareness about breast cancer. The team donned pink shoelaces and headbands and raised more than $200 for the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.
PC (3-19, 0-10 Big South) continues its stretch of five games at Templeton Center with a non-conference game against Longwood on Monday at 7 p.m.
