Columbia, KY – (RV) Patriots women's basketball took on another nationally ranked program on Saturday afternoon, falling to No. 12 Lindsey Wilson 79-68. The loss drops the Patriots to 3-3 in MSC play and 15-4 overall while the Blue Raiders improve their conference mark to 5-1, 16-3 overall.
Leading the Patriots offensive was Vilma Covane, who shot an impressive 8-9 from the field, finishing with 18 points and seven rebounds. Silvia Veloso and Abbi Douglas also managed double figures with 12 points each.
The Patriots came out firing in the first quarter with two straight layups from Vilma Covane followed by a bucket from Douglas made it 8-2 UC with 6:16 to go in the period. UC maintained a lead for most of the quarter, going up by as many as five with two minutes to go after a Hannah Lawson three pointer. With under a minute to go, the Blue Raiders made a push that saw them take a 14-13 lead before Douglas sunk a three with 0:09 remaining to make it 16-14 Patriots going into the second quarter.
Kayla Bruner got her first bucket of the game at the 9:30 mark of the second quarter before a Lindsey Wilson three on the next possession would shrink the Patriots lead to one. It was a close battle in the following minutes as both teams traded baskets before the Blue Raiders made a two with 7:32 to go to take a 21-20 lead. Lindsey Wilson made a 5-2 to run, over a three minutes span, before Veloso splashed a triple with 2:54 to bring the Patriots within two. The Blue Raiders took a 29-25 lead before Veloso hit from deep again, making it a one point ballgame with 2:00 left in the quarter. Lindsey Wilson went on a 6-2 run to close out the first half, heading into the locker room with a 35-30 lead.
The Patriots were unable to regain the lead for the rest of the contest, despite coming to within three with 5:37 to go in the third quarter after a Douglas three-pointer. The Blue Raiders got out to a 50-42 lead at the 4:45 mark before Vilma Covane made two straight shots in the paint to cut into the lead. In the last two minutes of the third, Vilma Covane and Douglas took the Patriots on a 6-2 run to make it 54-50 but the Patriots would still trail 58-52 at the end of the period.
Lindsey Wilson opened the fourth on a 4-0 run, extending their lead to 10 before Reagan Begole buried a shot from deep to make it 62-55 with 8:24 remaining. With five minutes to go, Lindsey Wilson had a nine point lead until Jasmyne Flowers connected on a three pointer to bring the Patriots to within six points. The Patriots went on a 5-3 run over the next two minutes, making it 69-66 with 3:00 remaining in the game. To close it out, the Blue Raiders outscored the Patriots 10-2 in the last two minutes, claiming the 79-68 victory.
The Patriots shot well, boasting a 48 percent clip from the field while connecting on eight of 16 three pointers to go 50 percent from deep. UC was outrebounded by Lindsey Wilson 45-34.
The Patriots will look to bounce back next Thursday, January 23rd as they return home to take on the University of Pikeville who are also receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 Poll. Tip-off between the Bears and Patriots is set for 6 PM at Randy Vernon Court.
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