Lady Pilots Hold off HTU
January 23, 2012
SHREVEPORT, La. - The LSU Shreveport Lady Pilots had a tough time with the Huston-Tillotson Lady Rams on Monday night at the Dock but seven points in the game's final 34 seconds from Christy Willis lifted the home team to a 68-60 win in Red River Athletic Conference play.
LSUS (13-5, 11-1 RRAC) struggled but found a way to win their seventh consecutive game to move into a tie for first place in the regular season standings. The Lady Pilots turned the ball over 20 times which helped the visitors stay in the game to the end. LSUS gained as much as an eight-point lead in the first half that grew to a 13-point lead following a two-point bucket from Meoshi Bradley.
HTU (4-13, 4-9 RRAC) began their comeback with a pair of Kevetta Williams' free throws with 12:44 to play in the game. The Lady Rams went on a 13-2 run over the next three minutes to rally back and eventually tie the game as Williams got the bucket and the foul and made good on her free-throw to tie the game at 52 with 6:07 to play.
The Lady Pilots once again pulled away from their opponents by five and once again the Lady Rams did not go away as they came storming back to within one with a minute to play. LSUS had possession of the basketball and called a timeout with a one-point lead and 37 seconds to go. Christy Willis followed the timeout with her first three pointer of the contest to put the home team up by four with 34 seconds to play. The visitors countered with a timeout of their own only to miss a long three-pointer and have Willis grab the rebound and then was sent to the free-throw line to make a pair and increase the LSUS' lead to 66-60.
The Lady Rams missed another three that was rebounded by the Lady Pilot's Jennifer Hicks and eventually Willis was fouled again and made two more from the charity stripe to finish the evening with 13 points.
Sharde Henry had a big night for the Lady Pilots as she picked up her second double-double of the season with a game-high 17 points and 10 rebounds while Jenna Diakos also hit double figure with a dozen points and Hicks had 11.
The Willis' three was the only one the Lady Pilots hit and attempted in the second half as they were one for five from beyond the arc for the game. LSUS' was accurate from the charity stripe as well as they made 13 of 15 in the second half to finish at 80% from the line for the game.
HTU shot just 35% from the floor for the game but stayed in the game with six three pointer in 18 tries. The Lady Pilots surrendered 18 offensive rebounds to HTU but managed to win the overall battle on the boards 40-38.
The next game for the Lady Pilots will be at The Dock this Thursday, Jan. 26, against Wiley College at 5:30 p.m. in their first meeting of the year.
