Box Score Marietta, GA – (RV) Patriots women's basketball returned to conference play on Thursday evening, falling to Life University 73-62 after a stifling fourth quarter effort from the Running Eagles. The loss drops the Patriots to 4-5 in MSC play, 17-6 overall while the Running Eagles improve to 2-9 in the conference and 9-13 overall.

Hannah Lawson had the hot hand for the Patriots, as the sophomore matched her season high with 18 points while going 4-7 from beyond the arc. Silvia Veloso finished just shy of a double-double in her 12-point, nine-rebound effort.

Lawson opened the contest with a three pointer to put the Patriots up 3-0 before the Running Eagles would return fire with back to back makes as the teams exchanged the lead several times in the first three minutes. Thanks in part to 3-3 shooting from the field in the next four minutes of the quarter, Life went on a 7-0 run which gave them the 14-7 lead with 3:00 to go. Jasmyne Short fired from the elbow on the next possession to end the drought for UC but was answered by a bucket from Life on the next possession. Life held on to the lead, draining one more bucket to lead 19-13 headed into the quarter two.

At the 9:11 mark, Veloso made a baseline break to blow past the defender and lay it in to make it a two-possession game early in the second. Poor shooting continued to plague the Patriots as they missed three straight from the field to go down 24-15 with 7:00 minutes to go in the half. Jasmine Flowers nailed a three from the corner and Hannah Lawson added a baseline runner in the fifth minute, yet Life continued to answer with buckets to maintain the lead. A minute later, Veloso drained a pair of free throws followed by an Addison Wilson three pointer that brought the Patriots within three, making it 31-28 with just under four minutes to go. Then, at the 2:00 minute mark, Kayla Bruner went 2-2 at the line to tie the game at 35. Bruner would notch one more bucket in addition to a Abbi Douglas jumper as the Patriots would head into the locker room tied at 39-39.

Reagan Begole drained a jumper within the first minute of the third quarter to give the Patriots the 41-39 lead before Life answered with a layup on the next possession. The Patriots would hold on to a two-point lead for the majority of the next five minutes until the 4:10 mark when Carla Covane converted on a transition layup to put the Patriots up 47-43. Lawson splashed another three-
pointer with 3:00 to go in the quarter, giving the Patriots a five-point lead. After one more field goal from Life, UC headed into the final quarter up 50-47.

Carla Covane managed UC's first bucket of the fourth quarter, putting the Patriots up 52-49 with 8:14 to play. Later, Life went on a 5-2 run with 6:04 to play to tie the game at 54-54 before taking the lead on a three pointer with under five minutes to go. Life put together three solid possessions beginning around the 3:30 mark, dropping in three buckets and a free throw which put them up 64-57 with 2:00 remaining. In the final minutes, the Running Eagles capitalized from the free throw line and notched another three-pointer as the Patriots would fall by a final score of 72-63.

The Patriots managed just 37 percent from the field on 23-62 shooting while hitting a slightly better clip from three, going 8-20 for 40 percent from deep.

Patriots women's basketball will return to the hardwood on Saturday, February 8^th as they return home to take on the Phoenix of Cumberland University. Tip-off from Randy Vernon Court in Williamsburg is slated for 2 PM.

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