Alice Lloyd Lady Eagles overcome 20-point second half deficit, defeat West Virginia Tech University, 73-63

Beckley, WV: Trailing by twenty points with 8:31 remaining in the third period, the Alice Lloyd Lady Eagles roared back to stun the West Virginia Tech Golden Bears, 73-63. The River States Conference matchup took place at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center on February 13th.

In the opening period, sparked by guard Alexis Sexton's scoring, the hosts jumped out to a quick lead. Tech would remain solidly in control and pull out to a 19-9 advantage after ten minutes of action.

In the second quarter, the Pippa Passes posse turned to sophomore forward Jamie Cowan in the paint, and she helped her squad chip into the lead. Although the ten-minute segment was close, WVT maintained a solid 36-25 advantage heading into the dressing room at the half.

In the third period, Tech saw Cadence Stewart drain a bomb to open the scoring for her club. They would roll out a quick 9-0 spurt in just 1:29 of play to lead 45-25. The Bluegrass team appeared dead in the water. However, with their backs against the wall, ALC responded.

After playing so poorly, the Lady Eagles picked up their defensive pressure and saw it pay dividends as they began to fight back. Eventually, when freshman guard Elivia Moore buried a trifecta, drew a foul, and completed a rare four-point play, it capped off an impressive 15-0 run. Suddenly, with  3:43 showing on the scoreboard, the lead was down to just five, 45-40.

The Mountaineer state club would then close out on a 7-2 mini-run, and hold a 52-45 lead heading into the final stanza.

In the final ten minutes, the Golden Bears would look to turn the tables as they came out with a fast 7-2 burst. This would increase their advantage to 59-47 with 7:44 left to play, and their fans began to breath a little easier. The feeling would not last long.

Surprisingly, the Caney Creek crew was not going anywhere as they dug in their heels yet again and went back to work. E. Moore and sophomore guard Kennedy Harvel sparked the club as they would combine for 9 points in a 12-0 run. E. Moore's pretty finish in the paint at 4:44 would knot the contest once more at 59-59.

Although WVT got an old-fashioned three-point-play on their next possession to move ahead,62-59. The Eagles would not be denied. Senior guard Katie Jo Moore would drain a pair of free throws (62-61) which were followed in rapid succession by a pair of deep bombs from Harvel to turn the tide once more. Finally, with ALC clinging to a 67-63 advantage, a Cowan power move and 4-4 free throws from Barrett and Harvel slammed the door shut on the incredible comeback.

For Alice Lloyd (10-14; 5-8 RSC), four players would hit double-digits, and Cowan, Harvel, E. Moore, and freshman guard Bailey Stewart all hit 12 points. Harvel delivered all of hers in the clutch as she produced every one of her points in the final 5:30 of the game.

In addition, Cowan registered a double-double by snagging 13 rebounds, E. Moore added 7 boards, and K. Moore dished out 7 assists. Junior guard Aziah Campbell nabbed 4 steals, while Barrett added 3 to the cause.

The Caney Creek Club finished shooting 40.7% (24-59) from the field and 33.3% (8-24) from long range. They connected on 77.3% (17-22) from the foul line while adding 39 rebounds, 14 assists, 1 block, and 10 steals.

Candace Stewart paced WVT (2-22; 1-12 RSC) with 19 points. Her squad finished shooting 38.1% (24-63) from the field, 31.6% (6-19) from behind the arc, and 75% (9-12 from the charity stripe. They also added 39 rebounds, 17 assists, 2 blocks, and 4 steals.

The Lady Eagles return to the court on Saturday, February 15th, when they travel to central Kentucky to face the Midway College Eagles. Tipoff is set for 3:00 p.m.