LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa. – Denyse Moore (Hampton, Va./Woodside HS) had a career-high 22 points, but it wasn't enough to lift the Lincoln University women's basketball team past the University of the Sciences in a 75-73 loss in the 2012-2013 Home Opener on Thursday at Manuel Rivero Gymnasium.
 
“I felt like we didn't get enough buckets in the paint,” Lincoln head coach Jessica Kern said. "Defensively, we need to be more aggressive.”
 
Moore was 10-of-21 from the field and finished with six rebounds, five assists and four steals. Tahlar McIntosh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Alvernia HS) came off the bench and added a double-double by tying a career-high with 15 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Cynthia Johnson (Baltimore, MD/Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) added 12 points and seven boards, while Courtney Smith (Milwaukee, WI/Nicolet HS) chipped in with 10 points as the Lady Lions (0-2) were 30-of-72 shooting for 42 percent.
 
Lincoln began the game on an 11-2 run after Mfon Ekanem (Springdale, Md./C.H. Flowers HS) scored on a putback with 16:34 remaining in the opening half, but the Devils rallied with a 14-2 run, capped by a Becca Ruggear free throw to give University of the Sciences a 20-13 advantage with 11:06 left.
 
The Lady Lions answered with eight straight points as a Tahlar McIntosh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Alvernia HS) 3-pointer gave Lincoln a 21-20 lead with a little less than nine minutes to play, but the Devils quickly responded and used a 9-1 run, capped by a pair of free throws by Jessica Slyvester to grab a 29-22 advantage with 5:33 left.
 
Lincoln rallied and tied the game at 33 after a Moore 3-pointer with 34 seconds remaining in the half, but a pair of free throws by Elsebeth Birman gave the University of the Sciences a 35-33 halftime lead.
 
The Lady Lions opened the second half on a 17-9 run, capped by a Mieana Gaines (Lincoln Park, Mich./Southfield HS) layup with 14:56 remaining, but back came the Devils, tying the game at 50 with 12:14 left after a Brianne Traub jumper.
 
Neither team had more than a two-point lead over the next seven minutes before the University of the Sciences grabbed a 65-59 advantage after a bucket by Traub with 4:34 left. Lincoln rallied and closed the gap to 69-68 after a Smith 3-pointer with 2:10 remaining , but the Lady Lions never got any closer.
 
Birman finished with 21 points to pace the University of the Sciences (1-3). Traub added 18 pionts and Carolyn Edwards finished with 16 points and 12 boards. Slylvester chipped in with 11 points as the Devils were 28-of-52 (54 percent) from the floor.
 
It will be a short turnaround for Lincoln as the Lady Lions play host to Bloomsburg on Saturday, Nov. 17 at Manuel Rivero Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m., and the game can be viewed through live stats at: http://www.sidearmstats.com/lincoln/wbball/scoreboard.aspx

Lady Lions Notebook: Denyse Moore (Hampton, Va./Woodside HS) and Cynthia Johnson (Baltimore, MD/Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) each played more than 30 minutes…For the second consecutive game, the Lady Lions have attempted more than 70 shots…Lincoln went 8-of-16 from the free-throw line…Courtney Smith (Milwaukee, WI/Nicolet HS) and Tahlar McIntosh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Alvernia HS) sank four of the team's five 3-pointers…The Lady Lions out-rebounded the Devils, 47-33, including holding a 23-10 advantage on the defensive end.