LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Spalding women's basketball hosted St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) opponent Fontbonne University on Saturday. The Golden Eagles defeated the Griffins 72-63.
SU moved to 11-14 (9-9 SLIAC), while Fontbonne fell to 6-19 (6-12 SLIAC) on the season.
TURNING POINT
A three-pointer by
Nicole Hollowell gave Spalding their first points of the game. It was a close battle to begin this game. When the score hit 11-9, in favor of Fontbonne, the Griffins gained some momentum. Fontbonne extended their lead to 16-9 with two minutes remaining. A basket by
Sydney Raque boosted SU into a 6-0 run to close the quarter. The Griffins won the first quarter, 16-15.
Riana Caldwell got the Golden Eagles on the board with a beautiful dropstep layup. A three-pointer by
Ma'Kaylia Lute followed this. Spalding caught fire from behind the arc as time kept ticking. The Golden Eagles hit not one, not two, but three three-pointers in a row. Two of these three-pointers were hit by
Maelyn Ridener, and Lute hit one. Spalding closed the quarter on a high note with a mid-range basket by
Isis Rodgers and another by Ridener. SU took the lead into halftime, 38-32.
Two baskets by Rodgers and a three-pointer by Hollowell got Spalding rolling to begin the third quarter. With five minutes remaining in the quarter, SU only found themselves only up one. The Golden Eagles exploded on a 10-1 run to take a comfortable lead, 57-47. Spalding took the 10 point advantage into the fourth quarter.
Sydney Raque hit a three-pointer only 20 seconds into the fourth quarter to keep SU's momentum going. It was a battle to end this game as Fontbonne narrowed the gap to five with four minutes remaining, 64-59 in favor of Spalding. Rodgers helped close out the game as she nailed 4-4 from the free throw line. SU won this one, 72-63.
GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES
- Sydney Raque led the way for the Golden Eagles with 19 points.
- Four SU players were in double-digit scoring.
- Spalding outrebounded the Griffins, 44-37.
NEXT FOR SPALDING
Spalding will travel to SLIAC opponent Principia on Wednesday, February 21st. This will be the Quarterfinals of the SLIAC tournament. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
