CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Feb. 26) – Kelsee Arnold (Sr./Atlanta, GA) scored 20 points for Saint Augustine University but the Lady Falcons fell 63-52 to Lincoln (Pa.) University in a foul-filled CIAA women's basketball first-round game at Bojangles' Coliseum on Tuesday.
The loss concluded the season for the Lady Falcons, who entered the CIAA Tournament as the No. 6 Southern Division seed. The Lions, seeded third in the Northern Division, advanced to the quarterfinal round where they will face No. 2 Southern Division seed Johnson C. Smith University on Thursday at 3 p.m.
Arnold set a career-high with six three-pointers on 6 of 10 shooting behind the arc. Her three-pointer with 6:49 left in the fourth quarter pulled the Lady Falcons within 50-45 after trailing by 15 points in the third period.
The Lady Falcons limited Lincoln to two field goals in the fourth quarter, but the Lions held on by making 15 of 22 free throw attempts in the final 10 minutes. For the contest, the Lions were 31 of 47 for 66 percent while the Lady Falcons were 7 of 15 for 46.7 percent. The Lady Falcons were whistled for 34 fouls compared to 17 for the Lions, who dressed out only eight players.
"We were looking to speed up the game, but when you put the other team on the free throw line, it slows the game down," Lady Falcons Head Coach Montel Jones said. "It is a big number between their free throw attempts and ours, but that's part of the game."
Angela Caraballo (Jr./Richmond, VA) added 11 points and Shankia Clark (Jr./Orlando, FL) pulled down 12 rebounds for the Lady Falcons. Led by Caraballo, the Lady Falcons outscored the Lions (16-13 overall) in bench points 23-11.
The Lady Falcons also forced 22 Lincoln turnovers, which resulted in 17 points. Sparked by Clark, they won the rebounding battle 48-43, including 15-9 in offensive rebounds, for a 9-2 advantage in second chance points.
"We had one of our best practices the night before the contest," said Jones, whose Lady Falcons played Lincoln close in a 58-50 home loss in January. "We felt pretty confident coming into the game. The girls played their hearts out. They left it all on the floor."
Neither team shot well in the contest. The Lady Falcons shot 26.9 percent and the Lions made 27.7 percent of their field goal attempts. The difference was at the free throw line, where the Lions scored half their points.
All-CIAA guard Kwanza Murray, who led all scorers with 24 points, was 6 of 6 from the charity stripe. Kenzie Spencer scored 15 points, including 9 of 14 free throws, and added 11 rebounds while DeAshia Young totaled 10 points on 10 of 14 free throw shooting. Young pulled down 10 rebounds.
The free throws kept the hard-charging Lady Falcons at bay.
"The plan was to get to the goal and the free throw line," Lincoln Head Coach Darrell Mosley said. "We doubled our goal of getting 20 free throw attempts, but we have to do a better job of converting."
"I take my hat off to Saint Augustine's," Mosley added. "They played a gritty, scrappy game for 40 minutes.
Arnold scored eight points in the first half for the Lady Falcons, who built an early 9-1 lead on three three-pointers, including two by Kiana Clark (Jr./Baltimore, MD).
The Lions climbed back in the contest and eventually moved ahead 18-13 in the second quarter before Arnold heated up. She scored five straight points on a three-pointer and floating jumper to push the Lady Falcons (3-23 overall) back in front 21-20. The Lions entered halftime leading 24-21.
The contest was the last in a Lady Falcons' uniform for seniors Arnold and Bianca Igwe (Tampa, FL). Everybody else is back and Kaaliya Williams (Richmond, VA), last year's leading scorer and All-CIAA player, returns after sitting out this season due to injury.
With a fully-loaded roster, the Lady Falcons will look to make a splash in the CIAA next season.
