PENSACOLA, Fla. -- A very close game on Saturday night against Pensacola Christian College left the Lady Scots basketball team in a position to claim their third win of the season. But Pensacola Christian College knocked down two 3-pointers in the final two minutes to secure their first victory of the season, 54-50. Pensacola Christian's record is now 1-11, while the Lady Scots drop to 2-5.
The first half held a similar situation for Covenant. At 2:18 remaining before halftime, the two teams were tied 20-20. Thanks to a layup by Christine Core, a pair of made free throws by Jessica Chittenden, a foul shot by Morgan Woodward, and a jumper by Ruth Gibson, Covenant found a way to pull into a 27-23 lead at the break. Gibson and Jessie Blankenship combined for 5-for-6 from the floor and accounted for 13 of the Lady Scots first-half points.
In the opening minutes of the second half, Pensacola came back with a six-point run to take the lead again. After another back and forth series of possessions, Pensacola took the lead 35-34 and did not give it up again. Covenant battled back from a deficit that reached as high as six points multiple times but could never find a way to reclaim the lead.
With only two minutes left in regulation play, Covenant had fought back to 46-45 but Pensacola's Candace Coleman knocked down back-to-back triples on the Lady Eagles next two possessions to rebuild the lead. Margaret Cross retaliated with a 3-pointer, assisted by Core, after Coleman's first, but Covenant would fail to score again until the closing seconds.
Coleman finished the game with 15 points off the bench, having made three of her six attempts from behind the arc. Pensacola's Ashley Antuna led all scorers with 19; she also had nine rebounds. Taneka Sandiford recorded a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Cross led Covenant's scoring with 11 total points, followed by Blankenship and Woodward with nine points apiece. Blankenship also racked up eight rebounds.
The Lady Scots will play their next game after a week of finals against Millsaps College in Barnes Physical Education Center on Thursday, Dec. 15.
