Clutch free throws and an offense with contributors such as junior forward Lucy Ibeh, senior guard Carly Hudspeth and freshman guard Randrea Wright resulted in a Sugar Bears victory of 65-58 Feb. 17 against the Bellarmine Knights.
The Sugar Bears are now 9-15 in season play and 4-9 in conference play. This win completed the season sweep against the Knights, ended the five-game losing streak and secured the Sugar Bears a hosting spot in the ASUN tournament.
The Sugar Bears came out with a 6-0 run in the first quarter, establishing a 10-point lead. Ibeh scored eight of those points. This lead was held the whole first quarter. It was challenged by the Knights in the second quarter when they narrowed the gap down to three. At halftime, Ibeh led the game with nine points and five rebounds.
After halftime, the Sugar Bears stretched the lead in the third quarter to 11 points with a 7-0 run. The Knights responded with an 8-0 run of their own. The Sugar Bears only led by three when Hudspeth hit two three-pointers near the end of the third quarter, widening the gap to 44-36.
Hudspeth scored 14 points and made four three-pointers – a season record.
“I think it just comes with going hard every day in practice and all glory to God. My teammates are so fun to play with, and we bounced off each other’s energy,” Hudspeth said.
In the fourth quarter, the Knights closed the gap yet again making it a two-point game in the final minutes. Hudspeth led a run that almost put the game out of reach, but Bellarmine kept responding with runs of their own. However, the lead was never forfeited due to clutch free throws made by players like Ibeh, Wright and freshman forward Lashiyah Fowler. Fowler contributed a career-best of 12 points.
Ibeh said of her mindset, “I think I just tried to execute the game plan. The team played together like our coach asked us to. The focus is to win at all costs. This is when every win matters, so that’s what we are focusing on.”
Coach Sandra Rushing said the game was a much-needed win.
“I think we played hard. They are a much better team than what their record indicates. I’ve said that all along I feel like they are the most dangerous team in the conference. They played hard. They don’t stop. If we got a little run, they came back with a run, and I’m just really happy with this. We needed this win,” Rushing said.
There are only two games left in conference play against North Alabama and Lipscomb, which will determine their placing in the ASUN Conference Championship.
However, Rushing noticed areas in need of improvement going forward.
“We made some silly mistakes backcourt and had some turnovers. We didn’t have a whole lot, but things like blocking out at the free-throw line. Those things can turn into big things later on if we don’t take care of it now,” Rushing said.
The Sugar Bears tip-off against North Alabama at 6p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24th in Florence, Alabama.