LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN -- The Lady Scots took to the court for their second consecutive home game this weekend against the Lady Hawks of Huntingdon College. Covenant's Great South counterpart from Alabama arrived ready to take on the winless Lady Scots and continue amassing wins against GSAC opponents, even if the win wouldn't go down as a conference victory just yet.
Last year, the two teams played twice in a two week stretch with Covenant being victorious in both games by double digits. This year, the Lady Scots looked to finally secure their first win under new head coach Corey Mullins.
With the rather large loss to Piedmont on Thursday, the Lady Scots were chomping at the bit to get out and play hard against a team that they matched up well against. Both teams traded baskets to begin the game in an attempt to feel out the opposition. Offense was at a minimum as both teams were cold from the floor.
Five minutes into the contest, the Lady Scots took the lead and did not let go of it for the remainder of the first half. Although the advantage never grew larger than 4 points, they held onto it without ceasing to fight off the many attempts by Huntingdon to take it back. The little offensive output brought the halftime score to 19-16 in favor of Covenant, marking the third time this season that the Lady Scots have entered the locker room with a halftime lead.
Sophomore Kiaira Cooper led all scorers with 6 points on 2-4 shooting, and she made 2 free throws as well. Teammates Margaret Cross and Jessie Blankenship both contributed 5 points in the first half. The home rims were not friendly to the Lady Scots as they shot 6-25 from the floor, a staggering 24 percent. They also did not convert one 3-point attempt in the first half (0-8). The Lady Scots did not shoot well from the free throw line either (7 of 15). But even with this, the Lady Scots found themselves up 3 points in a game that was about to get crazy.
In the second half, the Lady Scots came out hitting shots. Through the first five minutes, they had scored 10 straight points, pushing their lead to 13. The Lady Hawks were not done as they looked the 13 point deficit square in the face and did not blink. In a matter of minutes, the lead had been dwindled down, and with 8:55 remaining, Huntingdon had battled all the way back and tied the Lady Scots at 34. In the three minutes that followed, Huntingdon went on a scoring streak of its own, tallying 8 consecutive points to gain the advantage at 42-34.
If there was ever a time for a comeback, it would be right now for the Lady Scots. Freshman Brittany Harvey was up for the challenge, coming off her highest scoring game of the year Thursday night. Harvey hit two free throws at the 5:31 mark and then two more seconds later to cut the Piedmont lead to just one. Again at the 3:52 mark, she came through with a rhythm 3-pointer, giving Covenant another chance to stay close. And close the game stayed as Covenant tied the score at 45 just forty seconds later. Back and forth, the momentum swung first to Huntingdon and then back to Covenant. But the last minute was owned by Huntingdon as they continued to apply the defensive pressure to Covenant and hit key free throw after key free throw. When the final buzzer sounded, Huntingdon had secured the close win 54-48, preventing Covenant once again from that elusive win.
The Lady Scots were led this game by freshman Jessie Blankenship and junior Margaret Cross who both scored 13 points individually. Sophomore Kiaira Cooper was right behind them with 12 points of her own. Brittany Harvey scored 7 points, all of which came at critical points in the game. Blankenship also grabbed 12 rebounds, recording a 4th double-double of the season. The Lady Scots improved across the board offensively, raising their shooting percentage up to 41.2 in the second half and proving that they are capable of finishing a game strong.
The Lady Scots do not play again until the New Year as they take on Salem and Wesleyan Colleges on back to back nights January 6 and 7.
