Midway pulls away down the stretch to defeat Alice Lloyd Lady Eagles

Pippa Passes , KY:  The Alice Lloyd College Lady Eagles put up a good battle, but faltered down the stretch and dropped a 76-61 decision at the hands of the Midway University Eagles. The River States Conference matchup took place at the Perry Center and  "Coach J" Court on January 8th.

In the opening period, the hosts were colder than the frigid temperatures as they could only muster a pair of charity tosses in nearly 8 minutes of play. Because of this, Midway would lead 15-2 with 2:21 remaining, and the contest appeared over before it had started.

To their credit, the Caney Creek crew answered, using a 8-3 run to set the score 18-10 after ten minutes of action.

In the second quarter, the home crowd would see the one-two punch of senior guard Katie Jo Moore and sophomore forward Jamie Cowan  lead a resurgance. The duo would combine for 8 points in a 10-0 run, and suddenly, at 6:05. Alice Lloyd led 20-18.

Unfortunately, Midway scrapped back, and four late free throws by Jamie Chesser enabled them to enter the dressing room for intermission nursing a 39-35 advantage.

In the third period,  ALC's Moore produced 7 points to keep her squad in contention. However, several key buckets from the central Kentucky squad extended their advantage to 9 (55-46) heading into the final quarter of play.

In the fourth stanza, Alice Lloyd had hope as they saw freshman guard Bailey Stewart hit several buckets to keep the contest tight.

Disappointingly, down the home stretch, MU would close with one last critical run, and the Pippa Passes posse was unable to overcome their final push.

For Alice Lloyd (6-8; 1-2 RSC), three players would hit double-digits. They were led by Moore, who sank half of her 10 attempts and all 4 free thows to score 16 points. Cowan (6-12FG) and Stewart (5-10 FG) both provided 14 points.

Stewart and freshman guard Ashtyn Barrett both grabbed 7 rebounds, while Cowan had 6. Sophomore guard Kennedy Harvel handed off 4 assists while Cowan and Stewart both swatted 2 shots. Four different players each recorded 1 steal.

The Caney Creek Club finished shooting 33.3% (21-63) from the field and 21.1% (4-19) from long range. They connected on 65% (13-20) from the foul line while adding 43 rebounds, 13 assists, 5 blocks, and 4 steals.

Chesser paced Midway  (8-6; 2-1 RSC) with 18 points. Her squad finished shooting 38.9% (28-72) from the field, 21.1% (4-19) from behind the arc, and 72.7% (16-22) from the charity stripe. They also added 49 rebounds, 17 assists, 1 block and 10 steals.

The Lady Eagles return to action on Saturday (weather permitting) as they travel to Rio Grande to face the NAIA's #8 squad, the Rio Grande Red Storm. Tipoff is set for 3:00 p.m.