Eagles Title Hopes Fall Short

BEREA, Ky. – A 17-0 run to start buried the Eagles into a hole too deep to climb out of, losing the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship game to Indiana Southeast 77-64.  Asbury was making their first appearance in the title game.  They will now turn their attention to the NCCAA Mid-East Region Tournament beginning on March 8.

The Eagles shot an unbelievably and uncharacteristically low 26 percent in the first half and went into the break down 40-24.  The Eagles turned things around in the second half, outscoring the Grenadiers 40-37 after intermission.  Laura Carroll led all scorers with 26 points, 16 in the second half.  The junior guard took a career-high 29 field goal attempts, making 10.  She was also a perfect 6-of-6 from the foul line.  She was the only Eagle in double figures.

Asbury tried to create more possessions that would result in more points in the second half, taking 40 of their 75 shots after the break, but the Grenadiers turned it over only 13 times and made 49 percent for the game.  Megan Murphy turned in a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Grenadiers.

Indiana Southeast (26-7) shot 35 free throws in the game while the Eagles went to the charity stripe only 10 times.  Asbury was whistled for 27 personal fouls while the Grenadiers were called for only 15.  Both teams pulled down 42 rebounds as the Eagles grabbed 16 offensive, led by Griffith’s 5.  Griffith finished with a game-high 12 rebounds and seven points.

The Eagles will now turn to the NCCAA Mid-East Region Tournament set to begin on March 8 at Tennessee Temple.  Asbury has not played in the tournament since 2002 and is 0-4 in four appearances.  The winner of the tournament advances to the NCCAA National Tournament in Winona Lake, Ind. March 14-17.