Box Score (PDF)
POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – The 20th-ranked Lyon College women's basketball team held off a second-half comeback attempt by John Brown as the Scots earned a 67-56 in the first game of the College of the Ozarks Classic for both teams on Friday evening.
The Scots improved to 2-0 with the win, while John Brown fell to 2-3.
Lyon jumped out to a 12-2 lead over JBU in the first quarter after a bucket by Katie Turner with just under two minutes remaining. The Golden Eagles closed the gap to seven points after a three-pointer by Maddie Altman put the score at 14-7 in favor of the Scots.
Haley Wesley pushed the Scots' lead back up to double-digits to start the second quarter with a three-pointer, but JBU continued to climb its way back into the game trimmed the deficit to four at 25-21 on a jumper by Haley James. Madison Riley accounted for the next five points for the Scots and gave Lyon a 30-22 lead at the half.
John Brown opened up the third quarter with back-to-back buckets to pull back within four once more but the Scots answered back with a 10-2 run which was capped off by a pair of free throws by Riley and gave Lyon a 40-28 lead. JBU went on to hold the Scots scoreless over the next three minutes and took advantage as a three-pointer by K.J. Roh brought the Golden Eagles back within one at 40-39 with 2:23 left in the quarter. Liz Henderson and Alexis Moore ended the JBU run with a three-pointer each as Lyon led, 46-41, heading into the final quarter.
The Scots' lead hovered between 5-7 points for much of the fourth quarter until a bucket by Jade Giron and Riley put Lyon ahead, 60-50. JBU was able to cut the deficit to 64-55 with 1:41 remaining but a three-pointer by Riley capped off the win for the Scots.
Riley led all scorers with a game-high 20 points, while Henderson chipped in 15 for Lyon. Taylor Fergen scored a team-high 13 points to lead JBU.
"I was proud of our toughness tonight," said Lyon College head women's basketball coach Tracy Stewart-Lange. "We really didn't play that well but we showed a lot of grit when our shots weren't falling and made some big defensive stops. It was a good road win for us and we will continue to build and improve."
The No. 20 Lyon College women's basketball team will wrap up tournament play at the College of the Ozarks Classic against the host, No.3 (NAIA Division II) Lady Bobcats, on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Women's Basketball Contact: Matt Jagodzinski | 870-307-7516 | matthew.jagodzinski@lyon.edu
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