LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN -- Basketball is a great game for many reasons: the key match-ups, in game adjustments, and the continual battle for momentum.  Unlike some other sports, basketball has immediate ups and downs, and the roller coaster of emotions is one that never takes a possession off.  The Lady Scots were riding a mid-season high as they battled strong against soon to be Great South rival Maryville College Thursday night, but Rust College happened to be the opponent that benefited from the up and down Lady Scots Saturday afternoon.

The first several possessions all seemed well for the Lady Scots, but the athleticism of the visiting Bearcats was clearly present as they grabbed 2 offensive rebounds in their first 4 possessions.  This was something that the Lady Scots were going to struggle against for the remainder of the game.  Covenant's defense has been stellar of late, and Saturday afternoon it was still good, giving up tough, contested shots only to see the aggressive Bearcats find each and every way to grab offensive rebounds for second and sometimes third and fourth chances at making baskets.  With this much pressure and frustration, it was hard for the Lady Scots to keep their shape in their rebounding lanes, and the frustration was one that could be seen on every Covenant fan in attendance.  As the first half ended, it was still a close game with Rust holding a slight advantage 33-28.

Good aggressive play generally leads to either good shots or free throws, and be that as it may, the Lady Scots did not make one trip to the charity stripe in the entire first half.  On a positive note, Covenant was 13-26 from the floor, hitting 50% of their shots, and they were led by both junior captains Hannah Craft and Margaret Cross who both scored 8 points in the half.  The biggest dividing mark between the two teams was the 10 offensive rebounds which gave Rust 13 more shots in the half.

"I was very pleased with our offense in the first half," quoted Coach Corey Mullins.  "Our high-low game was as good as it's been all year, and I was glad to have Hannah playing well, finishing strong inside."

The story remained the same in the seconds half as the Bearcats again found 4 more offensive rebounds in their first 2 possessions.  And like the past two games, the Lady Scots cranked up the defense in the second half.  Rust scored first with 19:04 on the clock and neither team scored again until sophomore Kiaira Cooper made a layup with 14:50 remaining.  As good as the Lady Scots defense has been recently, the offense was struggling to get good shots to fall in the final 20 minutes.  After the Cooper lay-up, the Lady Scots did not put any points on the board until the 7:26 mark with a lay-up from freshman Jessie Blankenship.  This offensive struggle resulted in the score being slanted in favor of the guest Bearcats as they pushed their lead up to 13 points and never looked back.  Their lead got as high as 15, but when it was all over, the margin of victory had fallen just a bit to 12 points.

"We kept ourselves in the game defensively," Mullins continued.  "We just need to get a little more consistent so that we can put together two halves."