Women's Basketball's first loss in conference play on the season was a massive heartbreaker. The Lady Cougars fell 74-71 in overtime to the Lady Senators of Walters State in Morristown, Tenn. on Wednesday evening. They are now 3-1 in the TCCAA.
Cleveland State trailed 33-32 at halftime and led by as many as seven in the frame before they headed into the locker room. The two teams were neck-and-neck after the break, as neither one could gain an edge without extra minutes.
However, free throw shooting was the Achilles' heel of the Lady Cougars in the overtime period. Cleveland State was just 1-4 from the stripe in extra time and missed shots from the charity stripe that would have brought them within two points at the :45 second mark and would have tied the game with :13 seconds to go.
The offensive explosion of Asjah Harrell was a standout storyline in the game this evening. Harrell scored a game-high 31 points while also dishing out five assists, grabbing five boards, and stealing the ball five times. Britnay Gore also recorded her third double-double in the last four games, posting 11 points with 16 rebounds.
"The game came down to missed free throws and layups, which proved costly for us in the end," said head coach Evelyn Thompson. "However, this game showed us that we can play with anyone. I've been telling the team this and now I think they will start to believe it as Walters State has won 49 straight conference games and we almost handed them a loss. We will look to bounce back with a huge game on Saturday."
The Lady Cougars will look to bounce back at home on Saturday as they host Jackson State. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 ET.
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