Lady Knights fall to Bluefield Rams 74-60
Feb. 1—BLUEFIELD, Va. — The Lady Knights traveled to Bluefield, Va. Tuesday evening for an Appalachian Athletic Conference matchup against the Bluefield Rams. Going into the match, the Lady Knights were still brimming with confidence from their upset victory over the Reinhardt Eagles last week. The Lady Knights were able to hang right with the Rams throughout the match, however, a huge third quarter from the Rams helped them put the game away, on their way to a 74-60 final victory.
Although the Lady Knights will be disappointed to not come away with the win, their was no shortage of offense in this one. Ashley Starks (Manchester, TN) led the game off with a basket for the Lady Knights and a couple of baskets from Makayla Salliey (Baltimore, MD) helped give the Lady Knights a small lead and a burst of confidence in the first quarter.
Down the stretch, Madison Larrimore (Bladenboro, NC) was able to knock down a layup and a 3-ball from Samantha Tougher (Ontario, Canada) gave the Lady Knights a 13-10 lead with plenty of time remaining in the first.
After the teams were able to stabilize on defense and stop the scoring on both sides, Starks and AJ Price (Charlotte, NC) were able to sink a couple of crafty layups in the final minute of the opening quarter.
The Lady Knights' scoring output slowed in the second quarter and it wasn't until the 7:15 mark that Starks was able to convert on a layup and break the Lady Knights' dry spell. Tied at 21 apiece, the Knights would not be deterred, and as the teams traded baskets, Tougher was able to find open space and knock down a huge 3-pointer.
Going into the halftime break, the Lady Knights would be down by a score of 31-29 and would be happy to be right in the contest, despite not having the best offensive second quarter.
Coming out in the third quarter, Larrimore and Starks both converted early field goals, while Starks added a second make just a few moments later after some great defense from the Lady Knights to force the Rams into a turnover. Although the Lady Knights enjoyed positive streaks, the Rams came out firing on their own terms and were eventually able to build a 45-41 lead midway through the third quarter.
Salliey was able to make a layup at the 2:34 mark to make the score 45-49 with the Knights trailing by just four points, however, the Rams had one of the best two minutes we've seen from a team this season, as they managed to hit four field goals and take a commanding 57-45 lead into the final frame.
Any comeback attempt would be thwarted in the opening two and a half minutes of the fourth quarter when the Rams once again just seemed like they couldn't miss a shot and scored the quarter's opening six points.
Starks was able to quiet the crowd after she drained a 3-pointer, displaying her excellent consistency from range over the prior few games. The Rams were able to go on another scoring spree before a couple of Price free throws were able to stop the damage with 2:54 remaining in the contest.
Tougher was able to hit two 3-pointers and other Lady Knights got on the score sheet late in the game, as well. However, the Rams would ultimately end up walking away with the win in this one by a final score of 74-60.
The Lady Knights will look for redemption on Feb. 3 when they travel to Barbourville, Ky. to take on the Union Bulldogs of the AAC. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
