CONWAY, Ark. (Dec. 5) -- Austin College drained 10 shots from behind the arc in the first half to jump out to a 38-19 lead at intermission. The Roos would need every bit of that advantage as the Warriors surged late in the second half but came up short in the 58-52 decision on Sunday afternoon at Grove Gymnasium.
Austin (3-3, 1-1 SCAC) knocked down eight 3-pointers inside the first 10 minutes to earn a 24-10 lead with 9:52 remaining before halftime. Junior Kersti Marusich made four long balls in the opening half, including back-to-back-to-back attempts inside the Roos game-changing run. Austin would lead by as much as 20 points (38-18) in the first half.
The Roos carried their momentum into the second half and eventually led by a game-high 24 points (50-26) on a free throw from first year Brooke Melton with 10:31 left in regulation. Hendrix (4-4, 1-1 SCAC) responded to the deficit by fighting back with a 25-2 run over the next eight minutes, making it a 52-51 affair with 2:14 to go.
Both teams traded possessions without scoring a basket until Austin knocked down a jumper with 49 ticks left on the clock. Senior Christina Byler (pictured) made it to the charity stripe on the Warriors next possession and went 1-of-2 to bring it back to a two-point ball game. However, Hendrix was forced to foul to stop to clock and Austin made good on its chances, going 4-of-4 in the last 24 seconds.
Marusich led the Roos with 21 points and four assists. She was 5-of-11 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Sophomore Shayna Clardy added 12 points and sophomore Courtney Kenisky tallied 11 points. Melton led Austin with a game-high 12 rebounds.
Byler paced Hendrix with 16 points and eight rebounds, while junior Katy Ashley-Pauley added 12 points to the mix and junior Caty Hensy collected 11 points. Hensy also denied four shots.
Hendrix will take 12 days off from competition and travel to Millsaps College on Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. CT.
For more information on Hendrix Athletics please visit www.hendrixwarriors.com or contact Brian Rejer, Sports Information Director, at (501) 450-1426. Also, be sure to follow the Warriors on Twitter by checking out @Warrior_SID.
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