Box Score The Lincoln University women's basketball team battled with the region's top-ranked team Virginia Union University Saturday afternoon but came up just short as the Panthers came away with a 85-78 win at Barco-Stevens Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
The Lions fall to 15-9 overall and 9-5 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) games. The Panthers, ranked #1 is this week's NCAA Atlantic Region poll, improve to 23-2 overall and 13-1 in league play. The game was the closest game the Panthers have played at home all season.
Teira Pendleton (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytech) scored 25 points to lead the Lions, her highest total ever in a Lions road contest. Pendleton made 7-of-9 shots from the field including 2-2 from three point range. The senior small forward also had four assists and five rebounds.
Ashley Paynes-Hightower (Peoria, Ill./Peoria (Harford C.C.)) added a career 14 points (7-12 FG) while
Shahra Madison (Chesapeake, Va./Norfolk Collegiate School (Chesapeake College)) had nine points and ten rebounds.
Brianna Logan (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley (Siena)) dished out eight assists and had four steals. With her eight asssits, Logan now has 105 for the season, becoming just the third player in the Lions' Division II history to record 100 or more in a season, joining Chanelle Harris (2008-09) and Denyse Moore (2011-12).
Shareka McNeill led the Panthers with 27 points while Rachel Pecota added 18 points, all in the first half. Alexis Johnson chipped in 12 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks off the bench.
The Panthers scored the first four points and jumped out to a 29-22 lead after one quarter on the strength of a 60% shooting effort (12-20). Lincoln starter the second quarter with an 11-6 flourish to pull within two 35-33 with 6:35 left in the period.
DeeDee Irwin (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville Area) scored the final five points of the run with a layup and then a three-point field goal. Both baskets followed offensive rebounds by the Lions.
Following the Lions run, the Panthers countered with a 13-4 spurt of their own to take their biggest lead of the game at 11 points 48-37 with 1:37 left. Pendleton scored the final three points of the period to close the gap to 48-40 at the half.
The Panthers lead oscillated between four and eight point through the first four minutes of the third period until a pair of McNeill free throws put the Panthers up nine 59-49. The Lions followed with an 11-3 run to close within one at 61-60 at the 2:09 mark. A basket by Paynes-Hightower started the run and was followed by a steal and a layup from
Shecquan Bailey (Salisbury, Md./Snow Hill (Baltimore City C.C.)). Following a Panther basket, the Lions got two free throws from Pendleton and then a steal by Logan who dished to
Ariana Fleming (Newark, Del./Hodgon Vo-Tech) for the layup "and one" for a traditional three-point play, closing the deficit to two, 60-58. Bailey capped the run with a jumper following a VUU free throw.
Union pushed the lead back to three by the end of the quarter and opened the fourth with a 13-6 flourish to go up by ten 79-69 with 4:38 left with McNeill netting seven of the 13 points. Pendleton then scored five straight points, cutting the deficit in half at 79-74 with 1:21 left. This would be as close as the Lions would get as the Panthers were a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line over the final 1:14 to seal the 85-78 win.
Both teams shot the ball well with the Panthers holding a 54.4%-49.2% advantage. The Panthers made four more free throws while the Lions held a 29-24 rebounding edge. The Lions also had an 11-7 edge on the offensive glass as they outscored the Panther s 17-6 in the second-chance-points category.
Lincoln returns to action on Wednesday, February 21, 2018 when they travel to face Chowan University in a CIAA North Division contest.
