LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa. – Alaysia Washington (Washington, DC/Friendship Collegiate Academy) came off the bench to spark the Lincoln University women's basketball team with three 3-pointers in the second half and Cynthia Johnson (Baltimore, MD/Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) scored a career-high 25 points as the Lady Lions rallied to beat Kutztown, 68-60, on Tuesday night at Manuel Rivero Gymnasium.
 
“The energy tonight was something I have not seen in my time at Lincoln,” Lady Lions head coach Jessica Kern said. “Tonight was very important because you preach to the kids every day about sticking to something and having pride in what you do. We have had so many close games, so being able to rally and get the win was very important.
 
Johnson, who scored 18 of her game-high 25 points in the second half, was 8-of-13 from the floor and 8-of-13 from the free-throw line. She added five assists, four rebounds and two steals to pace Lincoln (1-4). Denyse Moore (Hampton, Va./Woodside HS) finished with 11 points, four rebounds, three steals and one assists, while Tahlar McIntosh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Alvernia HS) scored nine of her 10 points in the first half as the Lady Lions were 22-of-62 (36 percent) from the field.
 
“We knew this was our game,” Johnson said. “Today's game was about heart and the girls showed it. My goal was defense and we talked all day about defense so I had to make sure I accomplished that. The points will come if you play great defense.”
 
Despite a slow start for both teams, Lincoln broke open a close game with with a 12-6 run to grab a 14-6 advantage with 9:45 remaining in the first half on a jumper by Mfon Ekanem (Springdale, Md./C.H. Flowers HS). However, Kutztown answered during the next six minutes with a 19-5 run, capped by a bucket by Donahue to grab a 24-19 lead with 3:07 left.
 
An Ashley Wood 3-pointer with 1:44 remaining gave the Golden Bears a 27-22 lead, but the Lady Lions kept the game close and cut the deficit to 27-25 after a Johnson jumper with 23 seconds left. A free throw by Natalya Lee gave Kutztown a 28-25 advantage heading into the half.
 
The Golden Bears (1-2) took a 40-33 lead with 13:55 left on a jumper by Donahue, but Lincoln answered behind three 3-pointers by Washington, who finished the night by going 3-for-4 from the floor. The Lady Lions used a 22-7 run during a seven-minute stretch, capped by a Mfon Ekanem (Springdale, Md./C.H. Flowers HS) jumper and a Moore free throw.
 
“Once I had the hot hand, I felt like my energy spread to the team,” Washington said. “The shorts started to fall and we also made some key defensive stops.”
 
Kutztown trimmed the deficit to 58-55 with 3:33 remaining, but couldn't any closer as Lincoln ended the game on a 9-5 run.
 
Wood led the Golden Bears with 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting. Avery Hodgson and Alyssa Bonenberger each recorded 10 points as Kutztown was 25-of-60 from the field for 42 percent.
 
Lincoln returns to action on Wednesday, Dec. 5 in Sparkill, N.Y., as the Lady Lions take on Saint Thomas Aquinas College. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
 
Lady Lions Notebook: Johnson's previous career high was 22 points against Virginia Union on Feb. 18, 2012…Lincoln out-scored Kutztown, 22-18, in points in the paint and in bench points, 23-10…The Lady Lions were 5-for-21 from behind the 3-point line – Washington (3), Johnson and McIntosh…The three 3-pointers by Washington was a career high…Mfon Ekanem (Springdale, Md./C.H. Flowers HS) led the way on the glass with nine rebounds and added a game-high four steals…With the victory, the Lady Lions picked up their first win in the series against Kutztown…Lincoln improved to 1-1 against schools from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference this season.