Bryan News

Lady Lions' Second Half Comeback Attempt Falls Short

Mon, Feb 22, 2010 - [Women's Basketball]

Jessica Southern had 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Anna Thomas had 16 points and 18 rebounds.

The Lady Lions hosted the Lady Cavaliers of UVA-Wise on Saturday night. Bryan lost to the Lady Cavs 74-69. The Lady Lions' seniors were honored by Coach Bechler after the game.

The Lady Lions jumped out to a 5-point lead, 11-6, in the first five minutes of the game. However, the Lady Cavs went on a 34-11 run over the next 10 minutes to build their largest lead of the game, 40-22. The Lady Lions cut 4 points off to go into the locker room at halftime down 45-31.

In the second half, the Lady Lions fought back hard and cut the lead all the way down to 5, but that was as close as they would get. They outscored UVA-Wise 38-29 for the half.

The Lady Lions outrebounded their opponent 49-26.

Jessica Southern led the Lady Lions in scoring with 18 points while grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out 4 assists. Anna Thomas also had a double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 18 boards. Amber Smith added 13 points. Morgan Burnette finished with 10 points.

Kristin Mullins led UVA-Wise with 18 points. Ayla Young was the only other Lady Cavalier in double-digits, with 10 points.

After the game Head Coach Jamy Bechler said, "I was proud of our girls' effort today. They really battled. Even though Wise was on fire and hit some tough shots, our girls did not give up. Jessica Southern was a warrior today, both on the boards and attacking the rim on offense. She, along with Morgan Burnette really limited Amber Carter's effectiveness. Anna Thomas cleaned up the offensive glass like I knew she could when we recruited her. Cori Jones handled the ball well against 40 minutes of pressure. I also liked Morgan Burnette's energy. She made some plays that give us a glimpse into her future with us. It was unfortunate that we came out on the short end of the scoreboard, but I still like our effort and our attitude."

The Lady Lions finish the regular season 16-13 overall and 6-10 in the conference. They enter the AAC tournament as the #7 seed. They will travel to #2 Union College to take on the Lady Bulldogs on Thursday. The two teams split during the regular season. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30pm ET.