LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. -- The Covenant women's basketball team lost a hard-fought contest against the visiting Panthers on day two of Mountaintop Madness, 58-52.
The loss marks the first of the season for the Scots (2-1).
Mary Elaine Mitchell led Covenant with 11 points, which included three makes from behind-the-arc. Destiny Mergilles added eight points, 12 rebounds, four steals, and two blocks, while Cosette Kirsch contributed seven points and grabbed six rebounds.
Both teams battled hard, as the score remained tight throughout the first two quarters.
Thanks to a 3-pointer from Kirsch and a layup by Mergilles, the Scots held a 5-4 lead after three minutes of play. From there, both teams struggled to score, but a Greenville free throw would end the drought and tie it up at 5 with 3:42 to play in the first period.
Back-to-back threes from Mitchell and Karis McIntosh quickly gave Covenant an 11-7 lead at the 2:22 mark. But, the Panthers would battle back within one, as the first quarter ended with a score of 13-12 in favor of the Scots.
The second quarter remained similar, as both teams battled it out. Greenville ultimately earned a one point lead (22-21) with four minutes left in the half off of a 3-pointer by Sway Denton.
But, Elissa Moore would hit one from downtown, followed by a pair of made free throws by Mitchell, which helped the Scots regain the lead. A jumper from Abby Witt with seven seconds left gave Covenant a 28-24 lead at the half.
Greenville would then turn up the heat in the third, scoring 22 points off of four 3-pointers and shooting 52.94 percent (9-of-17) from the floor. The hot quarter gave the visiting Panthers a six point lead heading into the fourth.
The teams would remain dead even in the fourth, scoring 12 points apiece. With 4:16 to go, a layup from Mergilles made it 55-49 and cut Greenville's lead to six. About three minutes later, Mitchell would hit a 3-pointer to make it a one-possession game with 1:15 to play (55-52).
The Scots got off two more attempts from behind-the-arc, but couldn't connect on either. Free throws would then round out the rest of the scoring for the Panthers, as they went on to win, 58-52.
Amanda Brooks led Greenville with 11 points. Emily Reinneck scored eight, while Ashley Anderson tallied eight points and 10 rebounds.
The Panthers improve to 2-2.
MOUNTAINTOP MADNESS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Emily Reinneck, Greenville (MVP)
Ashley Anderson, Greenville
Cosette Kirsch, Covenant
Kennedy Moore, Berry
Destiny Williams, Brevard
UP NEXT
Covenant will host Toccoa Falls on Thursday, November 18.Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
CONNECT WITH THE SCOTS
Be sure to follow the Scots all season long on athletics.covenant.edu and on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for up-to-date scores, news and other information.
