Lady Lions triumph over Lady Bears in overtime

November 17, 2022

by Dustin Semore, Sports Information Director

HENDERSON, Tenn. — Freed-Hardeman University's Lady Lion roundball squad had a tall task for their conference opener, hosting the (RV) University of Pikeville Bears. Despite trailing for 38:11, the Lady Lions drew even at the end of regulation, requiring an extra five minutes, but the home team reigned victorious with a 67-63 win in overtime.

FHU (4-0, 1-0 MSC) made five free throws but were unable to connect for a field goal until KJ White's layup with 2:48 left in the opening half set the score at 11-7 in favor of the visiting Bears. The Lady Lions ended the opening frame 1-for-6 from the floor; however, sunk seven of their attempted 10 shots from the free-throw line to keep the quarter close, ending with Pikeville leading 17-9.

The Lady Lions would then add back-to-back buckets from Madisyn Baugher and Rachel Satterly to start the second quarter, cutting the Pikeville (2-2, 1-1 MSC) to two. A UPIKE Bear layup at 1:50 was the last made shot of the half, sending the teams to break with the guests in the lead 27-21. Coming into tonight's contest, the Lady Lions were averaging eight made 3-pointers per game, but came up empty in the first half, going 0-for-6 from long range.

That drought ended at the most opportune time. After Pikeville's 3-pointer gave the Bears their largest lead - 10 - White drained a triple with 5:54 left in the third quarter to give the Lady Lions a spark. After three made free throws, Satterly joined with a 3-point bucket of her own to shrink the deficit to two possessions, trailing 45-40 at the end of the third quarter. 

In the fourth quarter alone, the Lady Lions forced three turnovers and forced the Bears inside - not allowing a 3-point attempt from the Bears in the fourth quarter. Kalea Fleming's layup began a 6-0 Lady Lion run to pull the girls in maroon within one point, but it was Kelsey Bender's tray to knot the game at 55-55. After UPIKE put two more points on the board, Satterly's layup with 25 seconds left sounded the horn deadlocked 57-57.

With five minutes to determine a winner, White's free throw to start the overtime period gave the Lady Lions their first lead of the game. That lead proved short-lived as the Bears bucketed a field goal to leapfrog to a one-point lead. Bender's layup with 3:19 left was the last field goal made, meaning the final moments were decided at the free-throw line. Pikeville was solid, making four of their five attempts; however, FHU was granted 10 opportunities, connecting for eight of those. With FHU leading by two, Pikeville came out of the timeout on their half of the court with five seconds remaining on the game clock. The Lady Lion defense held strong, not allowing the inbounder a player to inbound to - eventually forcing the turnover to cement the FHU victory after two more free throws at 67-63.

For the third straight game, Rachel Satterly was an offensive force, going 8-for-16 from the floor - including 3-for-6 from deep - to lead the Lady Lions with 26 points. KJ White was not far behind, bucketing 18 points. Kesley Bender's nine rebounds paced FHU, with White swiping away a career-high five steals.

Up Next

More Mid-South Conference action is due up for the Lady Lions, who will host the Shawnee State (Ohio) University Bears on Saturday, November 19, tipping off at 1:00 p.m.