Tigerville, SC – In one of their best-played games of the year, the Crusaders traded baskets with the Bobcats from Lee-McRae College and executed tremendous defensive sets, stifling the Bobcats shooting. Lees-McRae has been the dark horse of Conference Carolinas this season as they defeated Limestone and Barton, who are both ranked within the top five of the conference while dropping other contests to lower ranked opponents. In the first meeting, the Bobcats had a hot shooting night as they bested the Crusaders in Banner Elk by 12. 

This time, however, the Crusaders came ready to play fresh off their recent road trip. Freshmen Haylee Luttrell and Journey Muhammed stood out by scored early and often as they combined for 27 of the Crusaders 59 points. The real story of the game was the smothering nature of the Crusader defense; as the team held the Bobcats to under 30% from the three-point line and only 35% from the field as a whole. In the end, the fourth quarter was the deciding factor for the Bobcats as they edged out the Crusaders 59 – 64.

1st Quarter

The Crusaders jumped out to an early 8 – 0 lead within the first two minutes of the game thanks to great ball movement and strong finished inside. Ty Saunders (Sophomore) was a huge part of the run as she collected two of her three assists for the evening in the first four minutes of the game. The team’s leading scorer, Karen Donehew (Junior), capped the run with a spectacular And-1. The Bobcats responded with a run of their own that started at the 6:03 mark remaining in the quarter. The teams traded baskets until a late turnover gave the Bobcats a two-point advantage heading into the second.

2nd Quarter

Again, the Crusaders came out on fire starting the quarter off with an 8 – 1 run behind aggressive drives to the rim and capitalizing at the free throw line. However, following the trend from the first quarter Lees-McRae flattened the Crusader momentum with a quick steal and layup followed by a late shot clock three-pointer. Heading toward the final minute of play the teams were locked in a 26 – 26 tie until Savannah Hughes (Sophomore) made a daring drive to the middle of the lane where she was fouled. Hughes made both of her free throws to gain the two-point advantage heading into halftime.

3rd Quarter

Both teams looked determined to take a commanding lead early in the third, however, both teams continued to answer made baskets from the other. The Bobcats scored early in the quarter to tie the game up and neither team would take a lead larger than 2 points until Muhammed hit a three-pointer at the 3:30 mark. Seconds later, Lees-McRae answered with a triple of their own and both teams rode the clock out finishing the quarter at a stalemate tied up at 43.

4th Quarter

In what could only describe as a back-and-forth bare-fisted brawl of a game both the Crusaders and Bobcats fought for superiority throughout the last quarter of play. Again, neither team would take a three-point lead until the Bobcats cashed in on a Crusader turnover at the 5:43 mark. Coming out of the final media timeout of the game the Bobcats began to pull away thanks to a couple of untimely fouls and turnovers by the Crusaders. A couple of missed opportunities by the Crusaders gave the Bobcats a six-point advantage at the 3:24, which turned out to be an insurmountable lead for the Crusaders to overcome. In the final minute of the game, Luttrell had a chance to tie the game with a triple but could not find the mark and the Crusaders were forced to begin fouling to preserve the clock. After a long battle, the Crusaders fell victim to turnovers and fouls late in the game and were defeated 64 – 59.

Individual

Karen Donehew led the Crusaders, scoring 15 while collecting 7 rebounds and dishing 3 assists.

Journey Muhammed made a couple timely three-pointers finishing with 12 points and 2 assists.

Haylee Luttrell finished the game with 14 points and 5 rebounds.

Ty Saunders scored 9 points, collected 9 rebounds, and forced 3 steals.

Upcoming

The Crusaders head back on the road as they travel to Gaffney to take on Limestone on Tuesday, January 29th at 5:30; then to King over in Bristol, Tennessee on Thursday, January 31st for a 5:30 tipoff. The Crusaders then come back home to face Erskine on Wednesday, February 6th. That game is slated for a 5:30 tip back in Tigerville.