Lady Lions outlast Lady Tigers

January 26, 2023

by Dustin Semore, FHU Sports Information Director

HENDERSON, Tenn. — After receiving votes in Wednesday's Top 25 poll, the Freed-Hardeman University Lady Lions battled the Georgetown (Ky.) College Lady Tigers across five lead changes and eight ties before claiming their 10th Mid-South Conference win with a 67-65 final score.

The Lady Lions (16-6, 10-6 MSC) got on the board after a set of free throws from Raegan Purvine was followed by a 3-pointer from Madisyn Baugher. Georgetown's Erin Toller would tally four 3-point jumpers across three minutes of play to keep the Tigers ahead. Not to be outdone from beyond the arc, KJ White and Baugher matched the Tigers with 3-pointers before Kalea Fleming was fouled attempting a 3-point jumper, then sank all three of her free throws. The back-and-forth battle in the opening frame ended with Georgetown hitting a pair of free throws to take a 21-18 lead into the second quarter.

White would begin the second period by driving into the paint on back-to-back possessions to flip the Georgetown (13-9, 9-7 MSC) lead to a one-point advantage for FHU. Entering the game with the 13th-most 3-point field goals made, Rachel Satterly tacked another triple on at the 6:28 mark to improve FHU's lead to 27-23. The Tigers would shoot the ball well enough to end the quarter on a 7-2 run to reclaim the lead and move to the halftime break nursing a two-point 33-31 lead.

Elli Chumley joined Baugher in the paint to start the third frame before Georgetown would go on a six-point unanswered run to jump ahead by four points. Satterly hit two more 3-pointers to sandwich a Chumley layup to pull FHU within one point, but it was Kalea Fleming's free throw with 26 seconds remaining in the penultimate quarter that knotted the game, forcing a 10-minute race to determine a victor.

That race was much more slow-paced than expected, with GC and FHU combining for 23 free throw attempts. Thankfully for the Lady Lions, 19 of those came with FHU shooters at the charity stripe. Satterly went 6-6 from the line where the Lady Lions bucketed 14 points in the fourth quarter. While the Lady Lions hit their free throws, the Lady Tigers drove into the paint where they bucketed 10 points in the key. FHU's free throws helped them claim the 67-65 victory, with a tying shot attempt from the Tigers falling short.

Evenly matched throughout, the Lady Lions shot 44% from the field with the Lady Tigers making 45% of their attempts. Both teams matched for eight steals, but it was the Lady Lion's offensive ball movement that made the difference. FHU dished out 13 assists while GC had 4 assists.

Rachel Satterly led the FHU offense with 17 points and seven rebounds. KJ White was not far behind, going 5-10 from the field to connect for 16 points. Madisyn Baugher helped on both sides of the floor, bucketing 10 points while nabbing four steals. Raegan Purvine posted 10 points and three assists.

Up Next

Freed-Hardeman will return to the hardwood on Saturday, January 28, where they will match up with the (RV) University of the Cumberlands. Tipoff from the Brewer Sports Center is set for 1:00 p.m.