GAFFNEY, S.C. – Trailing by eight points at halftime, the Limestone University women's basketball team rallied in the second half by limiting No. 11 Carson-Newman University, the top team in the South Atlantic Conference, to 31 second-half points to pull off the upset win, 72-67, in the regular season home finale.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Limestone 72, No. 11 Carson-Newman 67
Records: Limestone (6-7, 6-6), No. 11 Carson-Newman (14-2, 14-2)
Location: Timken Center
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
 

• Junior guard Quin Byrd (Fountain Inn, S.C.) posted a game-high 21 points
• She also finished with five rebounds and four assists on the afternoon
• Junior Reagan McCray (Davie, Fla.) added 18 points, six assists, five steals, and four rebounds
• Freshman Reagan Kargo (Summerfield, N.C.) just missed her first career double-double
• Kargo tallied 11 points and nine boards and was a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line
• Junior Vonshayla Webb (Travelers Rest, S.C.) pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds
• Freshman Aaliyah Foxx-Rome (Dallas, Ga.) chipped in seven points and five boards
• Limestone went 24-of-68 (35%) from the floor and 7-of-26 (27%) from three-point range
• The Saints outrebound a much larger Carson-Newman team, 47-42
• The Blue and Gold went 17-of-25 (68%) from the free throw line while the Eagles went 11-of-18

 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Quarter
 
Carson-Newman jumped out to a 6-0 lead as the Saints went 0-for-6 from the field to start the day before Byrd put the home team on the board with a jumper at the 6:24-mark of the first. The Eagles would push the cushion to 11-2, but a three-ball from the top of the arc by McCray closed the gap to six at the media.
 
That triple started a 10-3 stretch for Limestone as Byrd and Foxx-Rome added jumpers before a three by sophomore Alaan West (Harvey, La.) trimmed the margin to 14-12 with 2:34 left. McCray knocked down another bucket and Kargo added two free throws late, but the Eagles would lead 21-16 at the end of one.
 
Second Quarter
 
The visitors extended the advantage to double digits, 26-16, with five straight points to start the second quarter, but Limestone responded with a 9-2 stretch over the next five minutes. Graduate Lynadia Whiting (Waterbury, Conn.) capped the run with an old-fashion three-point play to pull the Saints to within 28-25.
 
Whiting answered a three-pointer by Carson-Newman, making it 31-28 with 90 seconds left in the half, but the Eagles scored the last five points of the period to take a 36-28 cushion into the half. Limestone went 11-of-32 (34%) from the field over the first 20 minutes of play while attempting just five free throws.
 
Third Quarter
 
Limestone came out of the locker room a different team offensively, opening the third quarter with a 14-4 run over the first four minutes of play. Webb started the stretch with an inside score before fast break layups from Byrd and McCray, and two from the charity stripe by Kargo, pulled the Saints even at 38.
 
Carson-Newman went back in front following a timeout, but a putback on the offensive board by Webb and another bucket in transition by McCray gave the Blue and Gold its first lead of the day, 42-40, with 6:04 remaining. The Eagles responded with a 10-3 spurt, however, to move back on top, 50-45, with 2:37 left and would take a narrow 53-49 margin into the final frame despite late triples from McCray and Kargo.   
 
Fourth Quarter
 
It was all Limestone to begin the fourth quarter as Foxx-Rome scored off a nice feed from Byrd to kick started a decisive 10-0 surge over the next four minutes. McCray added two technical free throws before Byrd drilled a pair of long-range bombs to give the Saints their largest lead, 59-53, with 6:14 remaining.
 
Carson-Newman recorded their first bucket of the final period at the 6:01-mark, but Byrd answered on the other end by putting back her own miss to make it 61-55. The Saints countered each rally attempt by the visitors down the stretch, but the Eagles would pull to within 67-65 with 39 ticks remaining in regulation.
 
Limestone would use the free throw line effectively over the last five minutes, however, going 9-of-10 from the stripe while Kargo hit a jumper during that stretch. McCray hit two crucial free throws with 35 seconds on the clock before Byrd sealed the 72-67 win over the 11^th-ranked Eagles with three huge free throws.
 
TURNING POINT
 
Limestone trailed by eight at the break, and as much as 10 early in the second quarter, but it would use second-half runs of 14-4 and 10-0 to pull off the upset win over Carson-Newman. The Saints moved in front for good early in the fourth period and used the free throw line to protect its lead down the stretch.
 
NOTABLES
 

• Limestone has won two straight against nationally ranked opponents – the previous win over a ranked foe was last year against No. 17 Belmont Abbey in the Conference Carolinas Tournament
• Carson-Newman is the highest ranked opponent that the Saints have beaten since knocking off No. 4 Lewis University in the 2015 NCAA Elite Eight
• The Blue and Gold has outrebounded opponents in back-to-back games for the first time this year
• Limestone forced 20 Carson-Newman turnovers for a 23-19 edge in points off turnovers and a 17-7 margin in fast break points – the Saints also posted a 12-8 lead in second chance points
• The Saints finish the regular season home schedule with a 6-2 record

 
UP NEXT
 
Limestone will close out an unusual 2020-21 regular season on Wednesday, February 24 when it travels to Mars Hill University looking for its first road win of the season. Game time is set for 5:30 p.m.