CLINTON, S.C. - The Presbyterian College women's basketball team fell to the Liberty Flames on Saturday night by a score of 51-40. The loss ended a two-game winning streak for the Blue Hose. Second-half fouls allowed the Flames to enter the double bonus at 7:15 and hold on for their sixth consecutive win over PC.
The leading scorer for the Blue Hose was Kristen Stevens (Pickerington, Ohio) with nine points. Olivia Towers-Solis (Dacula, Ga.) and Mariah Pietrowski (Elizabethton, Tenn.) both contributed six points apiece with Shonda Burnside (Gray Court, S.C.) chipping in five. Burnside also added six rebounds and Towers-Solis five rebounds to lead the team.
Amanda Mills (Oregon City, Ore.) went 1-for-1 on the night with a three-pointer that moved her into a tie with Darah Huffman for fourth-place with career three-pointers (130).
Liberty's Devon Brown went 4-of-12 from the floor and a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe to lead all scorers with 13 points. Jelena Antic (10) and Avery Warley (12) also scored in double figures for the Flames.
Both teams started the second half a little cold but traded baskets through the opening minutes. PC's Chelsea Parker (Asheville, N.C.) scored a deuce at 17:29 to keep the game within five points. Liberty then stretched the lead back to 12 points at the 12:51 mark (25-37) before Mills' milestone three-pointer with 12 minutes remaining ended the drought. The Blue Hose would get as close as eight points with six minutes remaining, but second-half fouls helped the Flames hold on for the 11-point victory.
The Flames built up a first-half lead of 25 -11 before the Blue Hose ended with an 11-2 run during the final four minutes of play. Four different players contributed points during the run with Dria David's (Lawrenceviille, Ga.) lay-up with 60 seconds remaining cutting the lead to 22-26. A free-throw on the other end for Liberty set the score at 27-22 in favor of the Flames at the half.
Stevens scored the first six points for PC with a pair of three-pointers and kept the Blue Hose close through the opening minutes. She ended the half 3-of-4 from the floor with eight points to lead PC. Liberty's Tolu Omotola also secured eight first half points and led the Flames.
The loss drops the Blue Hose to 4-9 (1-1) while the Flames improve to 7-7 (2-0).
The Blue Hose host Savannah State on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at the Templeton Center before opening a four-game road trip. Liberty next plays at UNC Asheville on Monday night.
Fans can keep up with Blue Hose basketball and the rest of PC's 16 intercollegiate sports teams at www.Twitter.com/BlueHoseSports. There, fans will find exclusive updates you can't find anywhere else. If video is your quest, check out the BlueTube on www.GoBlueHose.com or www.youtube.com/BlueHoseAthletics.
