LADY COUGARS STUMBLE IN LOSS TO JACKSON STATE
CLEVELAND – Momentum from Friday’s win over Columbia State did not roll over into Cleveland State’s game against Jackson State Saturday afternoon.
CLEVELAND – Momentum from Friday's win over Columbia State did not roll over into Cleveland State's game against Jackson State Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Cougars (11-8, 5-6) were unable to overcome the effects of a strong second quarter presence by the Lady Generals (12-4, 6-4), dropping the TCCAA conference game 67-59.
"We didn't do a very good job of defending the drive today and they are a team that attacks constantly off the dribble," Lady Cougars head coach Dan Lumpkin said.
"We turned the ball over way too much on offense, got out-rebounded and struggled to get consistent scoring runs."
Jackson State took a 17-16 lead over the home team in the first quarter. That lead turned into an eight-point, 40-32 lead by halftime, after the Lady Generals outshot the Lady Cougars 23-16 in the second quarter.
The two teams were locked in a dead heat scoring-wise in the third quarter, with both putting up an additional 15 points. Trailing by 10 points, a bucket from Jenkins cut the Lady Generals' lead to eight points. A steal by Hubert a minute later left the Lady Cougars with a six-point deficit in the final 60 seconds of the quarter. A trip to the free throw line for Jackson State up their lead back to eight points, 55-47 to end the third quarter.
Offense proved to be slow for both teams in the fourth quarter, with Cleveland State and Jackson State each getting 12 points apiece. That final quarter saw an almost four-minute lull in scoring, which was broken up by a basket from Hubert.
Trailing the Lady Generals 64-57, the Lady Cougars were unable to spark their offense and stage a comeback.
Cleveland State saw three players score in double-digits on Saturday. Catherine Davis netted 14 points, all of which came in the first half, Abby Hubert finished with 13 and Keya Jenkins had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Lady Cougars return to the hardwood on this next weekend with back-to-back road games. On Friday, they travel to Volunteer State and then visit Motlow State on Saturday. Their next home game will be on Feb. 7 versus Gadsden State.
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