Wilkes-Barre, PA (January 22, 2011) – A 10-0 run late in the second half pulled the DeSales University women's basketball team within five but two chances at making it a one-possession game were off the mark and King's College iced the game from the free throw line in the last minute, snapping the Bulldogs' four-game win streak, 62-54, in Freedom Conference action on Saturday afternoon.
Senior Lori Lidlow topped all scorers with 22 points on a solid 8-for-15 shooting effort and junior Cherelle Simmons recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 13 points and 17 rebounds, while also blocking five shots to lead DeSales. Simmons and Lidlow combined to shoot 13-for-28 from the field but the rest of the Bulldogs (10-7, 4-3 Freedom) shot just 4-for-32 in the loss.
King's saw four players reach double figures including Paige Carlin with 16 points, Brittany Muscatell and Katlin Michaels with 13 points, and Celia Rader with 10 points to pace the Lady Monarchs (12-6, 6-1 Freedom).
The Lady Monarchs jumped out to a 5-0 lead but the Bulldogs quickly erased that with a 12-0 run to lead to take a seven-point lead at the 12:19 mark. Lidlow had nine of the 12 points and freshman Faith Gilbert hit her only basket of the game, a three-pointer during the middle of the run.
King's chipped away at the lead as the two teams went back-and-forth over the final 12 minutes and a Lindsay Atchinson lay-up with two ticks left gave KC a two-point advantage (25-23) into the locker rooms. The Bulldogs' shot just 25.0 percent (7-for-28) from the field in the opening half.
In the second half King's took control early in the half building a 13-point lead (42-29) with nine straight points. The lead eventually increased to 15 points with 5:52 left when DSU made a late surge to get back into the game. Ten straight points led by three each from Simmons and Lidlow pulled DeSales within five with 1:28 to go.
A short jumper from freshman Alexiah Grant on DSU's next possession was too strong and Muscatell hit 4-of-4 from the charity stripe down the stretch to close out the win for the Lady Monarchs.
DeSales shot a little better in the second half (31.3%) but finished the game shooting just 28.3 percent from the field. The Bulldogs did out-rebounded King's, 46-43. KC converted 35.1 percent from the field and committed only 16 turnovers. DeSales entered the game forcing an average of 25 turnovers per game.
The Bulldogs will look to start a new winning streak on Wednesday when they return home to take on Albright College in a non-conference game beginning at 7:00 pm.