BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Senior Kayla Ford recorded a career-high 29 points on 10-17 shooting to help the Birmingham-Southern women's basketball team defeat Hendrix, 75-68, Sunday afternoon in Bill Battle Coliseum.
The Panthers moved to 9-10 overall and 2-6 in the Southern Athletic Association with their second straight win, while the Warriors fell to 9-10 overall and 4-4 in the SAA.
BSC scored the first point of the game after an early foul committed by Hendrix, and went up 14-4 by the 14:13 mark. The Panthers increased the lead to as much as 11 several times, including 34-23 with 23 seconds left. Hendrix hit a shot before the halftime buzzer to cut it to nine, 34-25, at the break.
The Panthers kept a comfortable lead for the first few minutes of the second half, extending the margin to 14 three times before the Warriors made things interesting, using an 18-3 run over a seven-minute span to take their first lead of the game, 50-49, with 9:11 remaining. The teams traded baskets several times after that, and Hendrix held a one-point lead, 55-54, with 5:08 on the clock. BSC used a 9-3 run after that to take back the lead for good, going up 63-57 with 2:52 left. The Warriors cut it to three several times down the stretch, but that was the closest they would come.
Ford's career-high 29 points led all players, and she also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the year. Sophomore Jasmynn Batts posed 12 points, and senior Alexis Adams had 11, while junior Ashley Curry led with four assists and junior Halle Knowles led with three steals.
Sara Dyslin led three Hendrix players in double digits with 19 points and also was one of two Warriors with a team-high nine boards. Caitlin Kriesel-Bigler led with five assists.
BSC was out-rebounded 42-38 but committed only 13 turnovers, the second-lowest total of the season, six less than the Warriors.
The Panthers are on the road for their next two games, traveling to Georgia next weekend to face Berry on Friday at 6 p.m. ET and Oglethorpe on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.