CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO --- After trailing by just nine points at the half
(37-28), the University of Arkansas at Monticello Cotton Blossoms (2-2)
were unable to respond as the Southeast Missouri Redhawks exploded
offensively in the second half, rolling to an 83-48 victory Nov. 22 at the
Show Me Center.
The Redhawks opened the game on a 7-0 run over the first minute
before Gemma Gibson (So., Dodd City, Texas) was able to get the Blossoms
on the board with a three-pointer. The Redhawks pushed their lead to nine
(24-15) with 7:27 remaining in the opening half, when the Blossoms went on
a 13-4 run capped by a Katrina Dean (Sr., Conway) three-pointer to tie the
game at 28-28 with 3:43 remaining. However, Dean’s basket was the last
bucket the Blossoms would score in the half, as the Redhawks finished the
half on a 9-0 run to take the nine-point halftime lead.
Southeast Missouri kept the momentum on their side, outscoring the
Blossoms 35-10 over the first 13 minutes of the half to push their lead to
34 (72-38), and the Redhawks would never look back.
Dean led the Blossoms with 10 points. Sherelle Shipp (Jr., Wilmar)
had four boards to lead UAM.
SEMO’s Tatiana Conceicao led all players with 17 points and seven
boards.
The Cotton Blossoms continue their Division I road swing Friday,
Dec. 2, when they travel to Beaumont, Texas to face Southland Conference
member Lamar. Tip-off from the Montagne Center is set for 7 p.m.
Blossoms Top Lady Falcons
MONTEVALLO, AL --- The Cotton
Blossoms forced 26 Montevallo Lady Falcon turnovers en route to a
70-61 victory in the finale of the UM Coca-Cola/Guesthouse Inn Classic
Nov. 19..
UM's Trellice Moore hit a lay-up with 15:58 remaining in
the first half to give the Lady Falcons a 10-5 lead, the largest lead
either team would hold in the opening period. Three minutes later, Wendy
Young (Sr., Chapmans, St. Vincent) tied the game at 10-10 with a layup
of her own.
Montevallo pushed their lead to three (32-29) with just
over a minute remaining on a Monica Chandler jumper, but Theresa Tran
(Sr., Mesquite, Texas) hit a layup as time expired to cut the Blossoms'
deficit to one (32-31) at halftime. The first half saw four lead changes
and seven tie scores.
Montevallo shot 63.6 percent (14-of-22) in the first
half.
As the second half opened, Tran gave the Blossoms a lead
(33-32) with a jumper just 29 seconds into the period. The Blossoms
would lead until the 16:40 mark, when Chandler hit a jumper to give
Montevallo a 39-37 lead. The Blossoms tied the game immediately after on
a Gibson jumper.
UAM pushed ahead on a three pointer by Tran, but
Montevallo came back to tie the game yet again (42-42) with 12:31
remaining after a jumper and free throw by Chandler. Once again, Tran
gave the Blossoms a lead with a three-pointer and UAM would lead the
rest of the way.
Montevallo pulled to within one (47-46) on a jumper by
Brittnee Malloyd, but the Cotton Blossoms went on a 15-4 run over the
next six minutes to take a 62-50 lead with 4:54 remaining. The Blossoms
held the Lady Falcons at arm's length the rest of the way, holding a
12-point lead as late as the 1:21 mark.
Montevallo gave the Cotton Blossoms a scare shortly
thereafter, as Jennifer Hendricks cut the UAM lead to nine (67-58) with
1:02 left, and after a turnover, Courtney Shields cut the lead to six
(67-61) just 20 seconds later.
However, the Lady Falcons were forced to foul point
guard Teokea Wilkerson (So., Shreveport, La.) and Wilkerson was able to
convert both free throws with 32 seconds left, pushing the UAM lead to
eight.
Tran led the Blossoms with a game-high 19 points. Jenna
Thomas (Sr., Shreveport, La.) added 13 points, and TeAundra Harden (Jr.,
Monticello) chipped in 10.
Despite being out-rebounded 44-32 by Montevallo, the
Blossoms were able to force 26 Lady Falcon turnovers while only
committing 18; and the Lady Falcons were unable to convert on their
opportunities at the free throw line, shooting just 44.8 percent
(13-of-29) while the Blossoms shot 63.2 percent (12-of-19) including a
71.4 percent mark (10-of-14) in the second half.
Blossoms Rally to Top Lady Braves
MONTEVALLO, ALA. --- After falling behind 41-27 at halftime after
shooting just 26.7 percent in the first half, the Cotton Blossoms opened
the second half on a 26-10 run and the West Georgia Lady Braves never
recovered, as the Blossoms picked up a 67-62 win Nov. 18.
The two teams battled back and forth through the first 15 minutes,
with West Georgia holding a 25-24 lead with 4:25 left. The Lady Braves
finished the half on a 16-3 run to take the 41-27 halftime lead.
The Blossoms shot 26.7 percent from the floor on 8-of-30 shooting
in the first half.
As the second half opened, the Blossoms seized momentum using the
26-10 run to knot the game at 51-51 nine minutes into the second half.
West Georgia pushed back ahead yet again, leading by as many as five
before the Blossoms retied the game at 60-60 with 5:36 remaining.
The Blossoms retook the lead after Gibson hit a layup with 5:09
remaining and UAM would never trail again. The Lady Braves cut the UAM
lead to one (63-62) with 2:53 remaining, but the Blossoms held the Lady
Braves scoreless the rest of the way to seal the victory.
The UAM defense held West Georgia to 20 percent shooting (7-of-35)
from the floor in the second half.
UWG’s Tai Ellis led all scorers with 29 points on 11-of-26 shooting
to lead all players. Jenna Thomas (Sr., Shreveport, La.) led the
Blossoms with 15 points, while Young scored 12 points in just 10
minutes, and Harden and Dean added 11 points apiece.
UAM made the most of their trips to the free-throw line, connecting
on 21-of-25 attempts while West Georgia was unable to capitalize on
theirs, connecting on just 8-of-17.
Blossoms Drop Overtime Heartbreaker to West Alabama
LIVINGSTON, ALA. --- A buzzer-beating shot by West
Alabama's Veronica Lee in overtime propelled the Lady Tigers to an 87-85
victory over the Cotton Blossoms
Nov. 16 at Pruitt Hall.
West Alabama opened the game quickly, starting the contest on a 7-2 run
before the Blossoms clawed back, pulling to within one (9-8) with just
under 17 minutes left in the opening half. The Lady Tigers pushed ahead
again, using a 11-2 run to extend their lead to ten (20-10) with just
over 10 minutes to go in the half.
The Blossoms clawed back into the game, using a three-pointer by Tasha
Owens (Fr., Fox) with 28 seconds remaining in
the half to narrow their halftime deficit to six points (42-36).
UAM surged ahead in the second half, finally taking a lead on a Dean layup with 12:10 remaining. The two
teams traded leads over the next seven minutes with the Lady Tigers
pulling ahead and taking a four-point lead with 42 seconds remaining.
Harden nailed two jumpers in
the last 33 seconds to tie the game with 13 seconds remaining. With one
tenth of a second left in regulation, Harden was whistled for a foul
sending UWA’s Ashton Washington to the free-throw line.
Washington missed both attempts and sent the game into overtime.
The two teams traded leads in the second half with neither team able to
pull ahead by more than two. The Blossoms took the lead on a Thomas layup with 3:41 remaining and
held the lead until the Lady Tigers tied the game on a Marie Heacox
jumper with 14 seconds left.
As time expired, Lee hit the game-winning baseline jumper, sealing the
UWA victory.
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Harden led all players with a game-high 33 points and 12 rebounds.
Thomas (14) and Owens (11) also scored in double figures for the
Blossoms. UWA held a 50-35 rebounding advantage over the Blossoms,
including a 23-10 advantage on the offensive glass.
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