Alice Lloyd Lady Eagles battle #18 Rio Grande University

Pippa Passes, KY: On Tuesday, February 13th, the Alice Lloyd College Lady Eagles returned home to face the NAIA's #18 ranked squad, the Rio Grande University Red Storm. The hosts fought hard against their highly regarded and undefeated conference opponent, before faltering late and falling, 81-65.

In the opening stanza, sparked by the 1-2 punch of Aleea Crites and Kaylee Darnell, the Red Storm shot a blistering 64.7% from the field. This enabled them to pull out to a 24-17 advantage after ten minutes of action.

In the second quarter, ALC junior guard Katie Jo Moore tried to keep the hosts close as she knocked down 8 points for the Eagles. However, RGU's Darnell added 7 to her tally, and helped the Ohio squad extend their advantage to 46-32 at intermission.

In the third stanza, Pippa Passes senior guard Hannah Kash led a Lady Eagle resurgence as she pumped in 8 points to help her club get within eight (54-46) at the 2:45 mark. However, a late 6-0 run lifted the visitors back to a 60-46 lead entering the final ten minutes of play.

 Down to their last opportunity, the Pippa Passes squad would come out and see Kash duplicate her third period total. Unfortunately, Rio made the big plays down the stretch as Alice Lloyd was unable to get closer than ten points the remainder of the way.

For ALC (10-15; 5-10 RSC), Kash led the way with 25 points. She added 3 rebounds and 1 assist. She sank 10-24 field goals and 2-2 free throws.

Joining her in double-digits was Moore with 13 points, and freshman guard Abby Maggard, with 10. Both ladies had 2 steals, while Moore and senior forward Riley Schreck each recorded 4 assists. In addition, senior forward Madison Thompson grabbed 8 rebounds and blocked 3 shots.

The eastern Kentucky team finished shooting 37.5% (24-64) from the field and 38.1% (8-21) from long range. They also sank 75% (9-12) from the foul line while adding 30 rebounds, 12 assists, 6 blocks and 8 steals.

Darnell led the winning team (22-4; 15-0 RSC), tying for game scoring honors with 25 points. Her squad finished shooting 48.5% (32-66) from the field, 25% (2-8) from behind the arc and 78.9% (15-19) from the charity stripe. They also added 30 rebounds, 12 assists, 6 blocks and 8 steals

The Lady Eagles return home on Saturday, February 17th, when they face the Point Park Pioneers in the final home matchup of the season. Tipoff is set for 1:00 PM.