Todd Ryals

War Hawks Spoil Rapides Opener

12/1/2017 1:04:00 AM

By: LC Sports Information - Brad Welborn

Box Score

The first game at the Rapides Parish Coliseum for Louisiana College basketball was spoiled on Thursday night as the McMurry University War Hawks gave the LC women a conference opening 61-55 loss. The Wildcats struggled to find the hoop, shooting just 28.8% from the field and committing 24 turnovers in the game. The women return to action on Saturday afternoon with a 2pm tip-off against Hardin-Simmons University.

The Wildcats were able to get off to a solid start early in the first quarter with a pair of big shots from senior Kourtney McGhee giving LC a 5-0 lead two minutes into the game. The War Hawks though answered back to tie the game with 6:17 to go, then put together a 9-4 run to take a five-point advantage with just over two minutes to go in the first. LC scored the last three points of the quarter on a free throw from Jonika Walton and a jumper from Shardae Melancon but still trailed after the first 10 minutes 17-14.

A string of six straight made free throws from the Wildcats in the early part of the second quarter put the Wildcats on top by a bucket. Neither team controlled play the rest of the half as scoring was limited on both ends. McMurry had a two point lead with less than a minute remaining but a foul on junior RyDeja McQuarn with two seconds left sent her to the line where she knotted the score at 29 each headed into the halftime break.

Both offenses continued to struggle to find their form in the third quarter as the teams combined to score just eight points through the first five minutes of the second half. The Wildcats seemed to take control of the game at that point with a four point advantage on more solid free throw shooting, but the War Hawks would not go away and ended the third with an old fashioned three-point play to cut the lead down to one.

The game remained close through the early stages of the fourth with LC still clinging to a two-point lead. Another "and-1" for the War Hawks put them ahead with 4:39, which was immediately followed by a layup and three ball to give McMurry some breathing room late. A steal and layup by McQuarn with 40 seconds left in the game made it a two-possession game. The Wildcats had a chance to cut into the lead further but two missed shots on consecutive possessions prevented any more of an LC comeback.

Kourtney McGhee was the only Wildcat to reach double-figures with 13 points as well as tying for the team lead with seven rebounds. Brooke Jones finished with nine points and seven rebounds, and RyDeja McQuarn had nine points as well.

The Wildcats return to ASC play on Saturday afternoon at Rapides Coliseum against Hardi-Simmons with a 2pm tip-off. For the latest on Louisiana College women's basketball follow @LC_WBB on Twitter. For general athletics news follow @LC_Wildcats on Twitter or like Louisiana College Wildcats on Facebook.

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