The defeat ended the Lady Falcons' season at 12-14 overall. The Lady Falcons, the No. 4 Southern Division seed, lost in the first round for the first time in five seasons under Head Coach Rachel Bullard.
"We didn't come out with the intensity that Virginia Union came out with," Bullard said. "We couldn't get in sync. We played with heart in the second half but dug ourselves a hole in the first half."
Guard Regime McCombs (Jr./Greenville, SC) led the Lady Falcons with 20 points including 6 of 9 three-point attempts. Guard Jeanne-Marie Wilson (Jr./Temple Hills, MD) added 17 points and forward Terri Jacobs (Jr./McDonough, GA) scored 12 points.
The trio combined for 32 points in the second half to help the Lady Falcons outscore the Lady Panthers 43-34. Jacobs scored all 12 of her points in the second half while McCombs and Wilson each scored 10 points. They helped the Lady Falcons erase a 12-point halftime deficit to take their first lead of the game at 71-70 on Wilson's driving layup with 54 seconds remaining.
The Lady Panthers (9-17 overall) made four free throws for a 74-71 lead including two with eight seconds left after rebounding their own missed free throw. Wilson's three-pointer was just off the mark with two seconds remaining.
Ashle Freeman of the Lady Panthers was the game's scoring leader with 25 points before fouling out. Lady Walker added 22 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks while Sydney Howard scored 10 points.
Missed free throws hindered the Lady Falcons' comeback. The top-ranked CIAA team in free throw percentage was 16 of 26 for 61.5 percent. The Lady Panthers, the No. 5 Northern Division seed, were 14 of 20 for 70 percent.
The Lady Falcons battled uphill for most of game after falling behind 6-0. The deficit reached double digits late in the first half.
The Lady Panthers were up 13 points in the second half, but the Lady Falcons started clicking. A 28-14 run put the Lady Falcons in front by one point on Wilson's layup. The lead was brief, however, as the Lady Panthers won from the free throw line.
Despite the loss, the Lady Falcons appear set for next season. Ten players return including top scorers McCombs, Walton and Jacobs.
