GAFFNEY, S.C. – Senior forward
Aliya Ruffin (Apex, N.C.) and junior guard
Taylour Hunter (Easley, S.C.) tallied 16 points apiece to lead the Limestone College women's basketball team to a 76-53 nonconference win over Queens University of Charlotte on Saturday, December 30 at the Timken Center.
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Limestone 76, Queens 53
Records: Limestone (9-2), Queens (3-8)
Location: Timken Center
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Limestone placed all five starters in double figures
- Hunter finished with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including a 3-for-5 showing from downtown
- Ruffin recorded 16 points, three boards and a blocked shot
- Senior Jasmine Richardson (Talladega, Ala.) registered 15 points, six rebounds and three steals
- Senior Aaliyah Davis (Fayetteville, Ga.) was solid down on the block, posting 13 points, seven rebounds, five steals, and two blocks
- Senior Keidra Smith (Mebane, N.C.) added 11 points and seven boards
- The Saints shot 28-of-60 (47%) for the game while holding Queens to a 17-of-48 (36%) clip
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Queens got on the board first with a pair of free throws, but a three-ball by Ruffin and a stickback by Richardson gave the Saints an early 5-2 advantage. The Royals tied the game at 7-all a few ticks later, but an old-fashion three-point play by Ruffin started a 17-0 run for Limestone over the next 5:47.
Smith scored four straight points for the Blue and Gold during that stretch before assisting on a layup by Davis to stake the Saints to a 16-7 margin with 2:43 left in the opening period. Hunter then knocked down a triple before Ruffin added another three-point play to put the Saints in front 24-10 at the end of one.
Second Quarter
The Royals closed the first quarter with a three-pointer and then opened the second 1-of-2 at the line, closing the gap to 24-11, but a steal and fast break score by Richardson and a three-point play by Smith sparked an 8-2 spurt to give Limestone a 19-point cushion with 6:22 remaining in the half.
Queens responded by scoring five of the next six points, but the Saints would open up a comfortable margin behind a 14-1 run over the rest of the first half. Richardson connected on consecutive fast break layups during the span while Hunter scored nine straight points to make it a 47-19 game at the break.
Third Quarter
A driving layup off an offensive rebound by Richardson gave the Blue and Gold a 30-point cushion to start the third, but the Royals countered by outscoring the Saints 21-13 over the final nine minutes of the period to close the gap to 62-40. Limestone helped by turning the ball over nine times in the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Queens continued to close the margin as four straight points to start final period pulled the visitors to within 62-44 with 8:33 left. That would be the closet things would get, however, as the Saints pulled away behind a 12-0 spurt over the next three and half minutes to push the lead back to 30.
Ruffin tallied seven points to power the run for Limestone while Richardson added a coast-to-coast layup and Smith buried a long triple, staking the home team to a 74-44 advantage with 4:58 remaining. Senior
Aleyah Chivers (Kansas City, Mo.) then closed the scoring as the Saints finished off the 76-53 decision.
TURNING POINT
The Saints opened things up early, using a 17-0 first-quarter run to pull out to a comfortable margin, and would not look back from there. Queens was able to trim the lead to 18 early in the fourth quarter, but Limestone would put the game away with a 12-0 spurt to extend its lead to 30 at the final media timeout.
NOTABLES
- Head Coach Corey Fox coached his 420th career game at Limestone, becoming the program's all-time leader – his predecessor, Dennis Bloomer, coached in 419 games over his career
- Former conference rivals, Limestone and Queens met on the hardwood for the first time since the 2012-13 season – the Royals joined the South Atlantic Conference the following year
- The Saints improve to 12-10 all-time against Queens at the Timken Center
- Surpassing Maria Young, Davis moved into fourth all-time in program history with her 69th career blocked shot
UP NEXT
Limestone will kick-off the New Year with three straight road games next week, starting with a trip to Georgia for a Conference Carolinas matchup against Emmanuel College on Tuesday, January 2 at 5:30 p.m.
