CLINTON, S.C. ? Presbyterian College women's basketball had three players register double digits in scoring against High Point, but it wasn't enough as the Blue Hose fell 64-52 to the Panthers on Monday evening at the Templeton Center.
Sophomore forward Chelsea Wright (Atlanta, Ga./Whitefield Academy) recorded her second double-double in as many games with 10 points and 10 rebounds, including a career-high six offensive boards. Wright was named PC's SAAC Player of the Week earlier in the day in recognition of her first career double-double in the Blue Hose win over Gardner-Webb on Saturday.
Sophomore guard Katlin Moore (Fort Mill, S.C./Charlotte Catholic (N.C.)) scored a team-high 12 points while also leading PC in assists (five) and steals (three). Junior forward Lea Smith (Marion, N.C./McDowell) contributed 11 points to the Blue Hose offense.
Wright scored the first basket of the night on a pass from freshman Kristen Stevens (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central). The Blue Hose outscored the Panthers 9-2 in the first three minutes on a run that ended with sophomore guard Amanda Mills' (Oregon City, Ore./San Diego Mesa CC) basket from beyond the arc. High Point jumpstarted its offense, scoring a quick five points before Stevens drilled a perimeter shot to put the Blue Hose up 12-7 with 15:02 remaining in the half.
The Panthers were not discouraged as they quickly erased the five-point deficit, tying up the game on a pair of free throw shots by Mackenzie Maier with just under 12 minutes to play. Shamia Brown's layup capped a 15-0 run by the Panthers that held the Blue Hose scoreless for almost six minutes. Wright ended PC's drought with a pull-up jumper off a dish by Moore. Her basket started a 6-2 run for PC that ended with the Blue Hose down 24-20 with 6:58 left in the first half.
PC continued to chip away at High Point's lead, tying the game for a third time with 1:38 left to play. Freshman forward Brittany Brown (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Latin) made two free throws to erase the two-point lead the Panthers had established off of Amy Dodd's layup as the two teams remained tied at 30 with 29 seconds to go. High Point ended the half on a high note as Jurica Hargraves sank a three-pointer with three seconds on the clock to enter the locker room up 33-30.
The Panthers came out firing on all cylinders in the second half, quickly building a double-digit lead four minutes into the second period. High Point held a 14-point lead, the largest of the game, before Mills drilled a jumper and made the extra shot with 5:51 left in the half. Smith's jumper less than a minute later cut the Panthers' lead to nine (54-45).
The two teams battled back and forth for the remainder of the game, with PC slicing High Point's lead every time it crossed into double digits. Smith went 1-for-2 from the line with 1:31 on the clock, cutting the lead, 62-52, and marking the last time the Blue Hose would score. The Panthers ended the night with a jumper by LaTeisha Dean to seal a 64-52 victory.
Despite being markedly smaller than the Panthers, PC outscored High Point in the paint, 27-26. The Blue Hose also commit fewer turnovers than the Panthers (23-18) for just the fourth time this season. High Point dominated the glass, outrebounding PC 35-25.
PC will hit the road for the first time since Feb. 7 with a trip to Virginia to play Radford on Feb. 28 and Liberty on Mar. 2.
