#7 Alice Lloyd Lady Eagles Dominate Second Half; Defeat #2 Mission University, 90-78 in NCCAA National Tournament

Lady Eagles now advance to NCCAA DI National Championship Semi-Finals

Lake Winona, IN: On March 20th, the #7 seeded Alice Lloyd Lady Eagles faced the #2 seeded Mission University Patriots in the Quarter-Final round of the NCCAA DI Women's National Championship. Despite trailing by double figures most of the first half, ALC roared back in the second half with an impressive display on both sides of the court to win going away, 90-78.

In the opening stanza, the Patriots came out strong, fueled by the shooting of guard Gabby Coble. She would propel her squad to a 22-11 lead by periods end.

In the second period, the Caney Creek squad got a big boost from the freshman duo of forward Jamie Cowan and guard Abby Maggard. Although the two of them would account for half of the Lady Eagles first half total, the Patriots Coble would tally 20 by herself. MU would lead by as many as fifteen points (40-25) before a late flurry by the Bluegrass girls set the score at 43-34 entering the locker room.

Fully aware of what they needed to do, the Pippa Passes crew rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Senior guard Hannah Kash came out on fire, as she scored time after time. Her production would help change the momentum as ALC roared back. The Pippa Passes posse would take the stanza 29-20, and enter the final ten minutes of play tied, 63-63

In the final period, with the game on the line, both clubs battled furiously. Cassidy Hambleton would keep her Patriot club close, while ALC countered with Kash and Maggard from the perimeter and Cowan inside the paint.

The Lady Eagles would creep ahead 74-70 with six minutes remaining only to see Mission roll off a sudden 8-0 run to lead 78-74 with 4:30 remaining. At this critical juncture, the Kentucky ladies would lower the boom.

First, Kash would score twice on drives to knot the game at 78-78. Then, on the next three trips, after ALC showed lock-down defense, Cowan would score on a beautiful post move, then swish four consecutive free throws. Stunningly, Alice Lloyd led 84-78. From there, they would hold Mission scoreless with great defense, while sinking their free throws to pull away.

When the buzzer sounded to end the contest, the scoreboard read 90-78. Incredibly, the victors had closed the contest on a staggering 16-0 run to seize the victory.

For Alice Lloyd (13-17), Kash would finish with a game-high 32 points on 11-23 shooting, including 10-13 from the charity line. She added 8 rebounds and 4 assists. 26 of her points came in the decisive second half.

Cowan had a career game as she delivered 22 points on 7-11 accuracy, including 8-12 from the charity line. She also ripped down 15 huge rebounds.

Maggard pumped in 16 points of her own and sank 6-11 attempts. She also nabbed 4 rebounds. In addition, senior forward Madison Thompson was a force on the glass, snaring 16 boards. She also chipped in with 8 points and several blocks.

The eastern Kentucky team finished shooting 47% (31-66) from the field and 22.2 (4-18) from long range. They also sank 77.4% (24-31) from the foul line while adding 53 big rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks and 5 steals.

Coble and Hambleton paced the higher seeded club (18-8) with 22 and 20 points respectively. Their squad finished shooting 37.5% (30-80) from the field, 37.5% (12-32) from behind the arc, and 54.5% (5-11) from the charity stripe. They also added 38 rebounds, 15 assists and 7 steals

The difference in the game was the Lady Eagles offensive efficiency and solid defense in the final twenty minutes. In the decisive second half, ALC held MU to just 32.5% (13-40) shooting, while connecting on 51.5% (18-35) themselves.

The Alice Lloyd fans now get to see their squad play Thursday at 7:00pm in the semi-finals when they face the #6 seeded Carolina University Bruins. CU upset the #3 seeded Asbury Lady Eagles 69-57 in that match-up.