CSU Women Fall In Overtime

Mars Hill, NC—Columbus State’s Nakita Holt hit a layup with six seconds left in regulation against Lenoir-Rhyne to force overtime, but it was not enough as the Bears out-scored the Lady Cougars 14-4 in the extra frame to take an 81-71 win. The game was a part of the Mars Hill Classic.
Holt’s layup came after Turelle Jones drilled a three-pointer with 27 seconds left to tie the contest for CSU. L-R’s Brittany Mitch answered with a layup to put the Bears back up by two with 12 ticks on the clock, but Holt got the tying bucke to force the extra frame.
In overtime, CSU committed three turnovers, missed two free-throws, and missed two layups as L-R went on an 8-0 run to start the period. Mitch got the frame off to a good start for the Bears with a three-pointer just nine seconds in, and the 8-0 spurt effectively put the game away as CSU never got closer than seven points in the period.
Turnovers and free-throw shooting were the glaring woes for the Lady Cougars on the night as the team went just 23-50 at the line and committed 27 miscues. CSU missed 17 free-throws in the second half and overtime periods. Lenoir-Rhyne was not much better at the line, as the Bears went 28-46 in the game. They also committed 31 turnovers. The two teams combined for 63 fouls and 96 free-throw attempts.
L-R got out to an early lead in the first half and used an 11-1 spurt over a two-minute span to take a 13-point lead with 6:08 to go in the first half. Amber Holt’s layup closed the run to make it 28-15. CSU closed the half by out-scoring the Bears 6-1 to reduce a 10-point deficit to just five. Deniese Campbell got the Lady Cougars’ final points of the half on a jumper with 53 seconds left.
After falling behind by nine in the first six minutes of the second half, CSU ran off 10 unanswered points to take its first, and only, lead of the game. Hali Moore scored the final five points of that run, converting a conventional three-point play and then hitting a jumper with 10:22 left to give CSU a 47-46 lead. L-R quickly regained the lead and held it until Jones and Holt hit their tying shots late in regulation.
CSU managed to shoot just 33 percent (23-70) on the night and was out-rebounded 59-52. Phebe Smith led the team in scoring with 17 points on just 4-13 shooting from the floor to go with 9-16 from the line. The senior added 13 rebounds. She fouled out with 4:29 left in the contest. Jones finished with 11 points but was just 4-14 from the floor overall and 2-6 from three-point range. Moore turned in a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Cameron Sealey led six L-R players in double figures with 16 points. The Bears shot 38 percent overall in the game.
CSU will face host Mars Hill in the event’s final game at 6 PM on Saturday.