Williamsburg, KY – Despite carrying a double-digit lead into the halftime break, Patriots women's basketball fell to Lindsey Wilson 76-64 in a Thursday night showdown on Randy Vernon Court. The loss drops the Patriots to 6-9 in conference play and 19-10 overall while the Blue Raiders improve to 25-5, 13-3 in the MSC.

Reagan Begole highlighted the Patriots offensive attack, tying her season high with 18 points while going 4-13 from the field. Vilma Covane tallied her 16^th double-digit scoring effort of the season, dropping 16 points while grabbing eight rebounds.

The Patriots played their best basketball in the opening quarter, outscoring Lindsey Wilson 23-11 over the first 10 minutes. In the first 1:30 of the period, Vilma Covane made it to the foul line twice, draining all four shots to give the Patriots a 4-2 lead. The Patriots led over the next few minutes, mounting a 12-7 run that included a triple from Abbi Douglas and field goals from Vilma Covane, Carla Covane, and Silvia Veloso. The Patriots held a 23-11 lead to close out the period.

With a free throw in the first minute of the second quarter, Veloso extended the Patriots lead to 13. The teams battled back and forth until the 5:55 mark when the Blue Raiders launched a 12-2 run over the next three minutes to make it 31-30 with 1:53 to go in the half. Carla Covane added a pair of buckets to put the Patriots back ahead by six, making it 36-30 heading into the break.

With 8:15 to play in the third, a Lindsey Wilson three-pointer gave the Blue Raiders a two-point, 38-36 lead. There were three ties and a pair of lead changes throughout the following series as the game was played within five points. The Patriots exploited the Blue Raiders foul trouble, taking ample opportunities at the line to stay ahead. Lindsey Wilson closed out the third with a field goal and a pair of free throws to lead 54-49 heading into the final period.

The opening three minutes of the fourth saw an energetic Lindsey Wilson offense go on a 10-4 run to lead the Patriots 64-53 with 7:00 to go. A pair of free throws by Jasmine Flowers with 3:40 remaining brought the Patriots within two possessions, making it 64-60 before Lindsey's Reagan Turner would bury a jumper and hit the and-one to extend the Blue Raider lead back to seven. Lindsey Wilson held their ground in the final minutes of the period, going on to win by a final score of 76-64.

The Patriots shot a 39 percent clip from the field on 18-46 from the field while hitting 3-11 from beyond the arc for 27 percent. UC won the rebounding margin, pulling in 35 boards to Lindsey Wilson's 29.

University of the Cumberlands women's basketball will return home for senior night on Saturday, February 29^th to take on the Tigers of Campbellsville. Tip-off from Randy Vernon Court is slated for 2 PM.

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