JEFFERSON CITY, TENN. – The Limestone University women's basketball team rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit early in the fourth and then nearly overcame another double-digit hole late in regulation, but Carson-Newman University would hold on for an 87-82 win on Saturday, December 12.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Carson-Newman 87, Limestone 82
Records: Carson-Newman (3-0, 3-0), Limestone (2-4, 2-4)
Location: Holt Fieldhouse
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
 

• Junior Reagan McCray (Davie, Fla.) finished with 23 points, five rebounds, and four assists
• Freshman Reagan Kargo (Summerfield, N.C.) also tallied a game-high 23 points
• McCray went 6-of-14 from three-point range while Kargo dropped 5-of-11 from long distance
• Junior Quin Byrd (Fountain Inn, S.C.) added 14 points, five boards, four assists, and four steals
• Graduate Lynadia Whiting (Waterbury, Conn.) chipped in nine points to go with eight assists
• Freshman Aaliyah Foxx-Rome (Dallas, Ga.) hauled in six rebounds and posted five points
• Limestone went 30-of-79 (38%) from the floor and 13-of-37 (35%) from long range
• The Saints had a tough time getting stops on defense as the Eagles shot 51-percent on the day
• Carson-Newman owned the boards, outrebounding the Blue and Gold 47-29

 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Quarter
 
The Eagles started the day with a quick bucket, but a long-range bomb from McCray and an acrobatic move by Byrd in the lane staked Limestone to a 5-2 edge just over a minute into play. Whiting drilled a three to make it 8-4 a few ticks later, but the Saints went ice cold from the field over the next five minutes.
 
Carson-Newman used Limestone's cold-shooting woes to rattle off 12 straight points during that stretch before senior Josie Long (Madison, Fla.) hit a pull-up jumper to snap the drought at the 2:22-mark of the first. McCray hit another triple, but the Eagles closed the period with a 5-0 spurt to make it a 23-13 game.     
 
Second Quarter
 
Trailing by 10 to start the second, the Blue and Gold opened the frame with a 9-2 surge over the first two minutes to close the gap to 25-22. Foxx-Rome started the run with a strong inside move before Kargo scored five straight, but Carson-Newman quickly moved the lead back to 10 with a 7-0 counterattack.
 
Sophomore Destiny Jackson (Severn, Md.) hit a runner in the lane before Kargo connected on back-to-back triples, powering an 8-0 spurt for Limestone to trim the margin to 32-30 with 5:50 left. However, the Eagles again found a way to respond, using an 12-4 run to push the margin back to 10 points (44-34).
 
Byrd went coast-to-coast for a bucket, but the Eagles used a conventional three-point play on the other end to pull out to their largest lead of the half, 47-36, with 1:25 left. Limestone kept battling though as Kargo hit a transition jumper before Whiting scored as the Saints cut into the lead, 47-40, at the half.
 
Third Quarter
 
Despite an old-fashion three-point play by Foxx-Rome early in the third to make it a six-point game, Carson-Newman continued to push its lead to 10 points on several occasions. Kargo scored five points, including a three-ball, but the home team would maintain a double-digit lead, 60-50, at the media timeout.
 
With the Saints looking up at a 62-52 deficit with 3:42 remaining in the third, McCray knocked down consecutive long-range bombs to power a 10-3 run over the rest of the quarter. Long scored three points during that stretch before Byrd hit a free throw as Limestone trailed 65-62 at the end of the third period.
 
Fourth Quarter
 
Limestone completed the rally and tied the game at 65-all to start the fourth quarter as McCray worked her way to the rim for the bucket and the foul. The Eagles made good use of the free throw line, however, going 6-of-6 at the charity stripe, to power another 12-0 run to quickly push the lead back to double digits.
 
The Saints refused to go away though as McCray connected on a pair from long distance while Kargo scored on the inside to highlight a 9-3 spurt to pull the visitors to within 80-74 with 2:17 remaining. Limestone continued its late surge as Byrd scored five straight before Kargo hit her fifth triple, making it 84-82 with 29 ticks left, but the Eagles went 3-of-4 at the line in the final seconds to hang on for the win.
 
TURNING POINT
 
Two different 12-0 runs by Carson-Newman proved to be the difference in Saturday's contest. The Eagles used 12 unanswered points in the first quarter to open a double-digit advantage for most of the game. The Saints rallied to tie the game early in the fourth, but another 12-0 Carson-Newman surge in the final period was too much for Limestone to overcome in the late going as it end up losing by five.  
 
NOTABLES
 

• Limestone scored a season-high 82 points, but surrendered a season-worst 87 points
• Byrd was solid in her first significant action of the year – she missed the first four games due to contact tracing and played sparingly in Wednesday's loss to Tusculum
• The Saints went a combined 0-for-11 from the field while committing five turnovers during Carson-Newman's 12-0 runs in the first and fourth quarters
• McCray has 11 three-pointers of the last two games – she passed Keidra Smith for eighth all-time in team history in career triples. McCray now has 129 career threes
• The Reagan and Reagan Show – McCray and Kargo combined for 46 of Limestone's 82 points

 
UP NEXT
 
The Saints will look to end their two-game skid when they return home to the Timken Center to host Mars Hill University on Tuesday, December 15 at 2 p.m.