Final Stats
LINCOLN, PA – The Livingstone women's basketball team picked up a hard-fought conference victory Saturday evening, prevailing 74-67 over the Lincoln University Lions.
Livingstone improved to 5-8 overall and 1-1 in the CIAA while Lincoln fell to 4-9 overall and 0-2 in the conference.
Saturday's game was a back-and-forth battle with 20 lead changes, 14 ties and neither team able to amount more than a seven-point edge. In addition to the battle between the teams, the Lions and Blue Bears had to fight through more than 50 fouls whistled during the contest.
After the Blue Bears took the first two points of the game, neither team saw more than a four-point advantage for the entirety of the first half. Lincoln held the four-point lead twice during the first half, once at 16-12 and again at 21-17. After the 21-17 deficit, the Blue Bears used a 5-0 run to take a 22-21 edge.
Following the 22-21 advantage, the Blue Bears didn't see another lead until Kelcyn Manurs put two points on the board from the field with 20 seconds left to give Livingstone a 34-33 edge. Lincoln held the ball for one final shot and retook a 35-34 lead with five seconds left and took that lead into the break.
The second half continued just as the first, with leads changing hands and fouls being called. Through the first 11 minutes of the second half the lead changed hands six times and the largest lead was only three points. With 9:24 remaining in the contest, the score was tied 51-51. After the tie, Lincoln took just over a minute off the clock to go on a 6-0 run to open the largest lead of the game for the Lions of six points at 57-51.
Livingstone didn't stay down long, in less than a minute the Blue Bears went on an 8-0 run to take a 59-57 lead with 7:05 left in the contest. Livingstone was able to increase its lead to 63-58 with 5:30 to play, but a 6-0 by Lincoln gave the Lions a 64-63 lead with 3:11 left.
On the next two possession for the Blue Bears they went to the free-throw line, hitting all four attempts to take a 67-64 lead. After the Lions got within 67-66, the Blue Bears converted 7-of-8 free throws on their final four possessions to get the well-deserved 75-67 victory.
Three Blue Bears scored in double-figures, led by junior Jasmine Murray who finished with 19 points and also pulled down five rebounds. Junior Kelcyn Manurs also added 18 points while Montiya Harrison scored 13 points.
Livingstone had a strong shooting night from the floor, hitting 40.9 percent of their field-goal attempts including 41.7 percent of their three-point shots. The Blue Bears struggled from the free-throw line in the first half, hitting only 2-of-11 attempts, but finished 15-for-28 for the game.
The Blue Bears will get a five-day break prior to their next contest which will be Thursday, January 12 when they head to Ettrick, VA to take on the Trojans of Virginia State University at 5:30 p.m.
