Eagles Lose Nail Bitter to No. 25 St. Francis
WILMORE, Ky. – A late turnover by Asbury gave No. 25 St. Francis (Ind.) a breakaway layup and an 81-79 win on Wednesday night. The Eagles fall to 1-1 on the young season while St. Francis wins their season opener.
The Eagles overcame a nine point deficit in the second half to take a one point with just under seven minutes remaining. Asbury had led by as much as seven in the first half before losing the lead by halftime, 42-40 in favor of St. Francis. In the final minutes the lead changed hands four times and was tied three times.
Sam Burr made the first of two free throws to tie the game at 79-79 with 45 seconds left and after an offensive rebound by the Eagles, Lakin Griffith missed a potential go-ahead shot in the paint. An ensuing missed shot and turnover by the Lady Cougars gave the Eagles the ball with 15 seconds left. After a timeout Trenia Barbee turned the ball over as she was driving and Skylar Shurn took it the length of the court for a breakaway layup with just 1.1 remaining on the clock. Barbee’s last second heave hit off the backboard.
Barbee led all scorers for the second straight game with 25 points on 8-of-20 shooting and 8-of-12 free throws. She also led the team with seven rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes of action. Laura Carroll added 12 points and Griffith chipped in with 11. Overall 11 players scored for the Eagles.
Jenelle Wilson led the Lady Cougars with 20 points on 5-of-11 shooting and 4-of-5 from three point range. She also connected on 6-of-8 free throws. St. Francis shot 44.3% overall from the floor and 41.2% from beyond the three point arc while Asbury shot just 41.5% overall and 31.6% from long range. Both teams took 28 free throws with USF making 20 and AU making 19.
The Lady Cougars enjoyed a large advantage on the glass, 49-30, but turned 14 offensive rebounds into only 12 second chance points. Asbury scored seven second chance points on seven offensive rebounds.
Asbury will continue their home stand to open the season by hosting St. Catharine on Saturday at 12 pm.
