PINEVILLE, LA. – A strong defensive effort in the first half would give the LeTourneau University women's basketball team a four-point halftime lead before seeing host Louisiana College shoot over 50 percent from the floor in the second half to down the YellowJackets by a final score of 77-62 at the H.O. West Field House in Pineville, LA on Thursday, February 8th.
 
LETU is now 4-18 overall and 1-14 in the American Southwest Conference while the Wildcats picked up their 12th win of the year to improve to 12-9 overall and 8-7 in the ASC.
 
"Tonight was a night where we got in foul trouble early and that hurt us later in the game" said head coach Cassi Rozanski in a post-game interview. "Louisiana College has a great inside game that we could not stop due to the early foul trouble." "Our energy was not as good as some of our previous games, and we couldn't capitalize when we had the lead which led to the outcome we saw."
 
It would be a tale of two halves on the offensive side of things for the YellowJackets as LeTourneau shot 19-of-53 (35.8 percent) in the game after starting out 10-for-22 (45.5 percent) in the first half. Rebounding would be a key in the LC victory as LETU would be outrebounded 44-34 while also seeing the Wildcats hold a 40-14 points in the paint advantage.  
 
The offense would be spread out among players for LeTourneau, with freshman Keauna Whitfield leading the charge with 15 points and eight rebounds. Ashley Reed scored 12 of her 14 points from beyond the arc, going four-for-eight from three while sophomore Alexandria Thorne had 12 points and one steal. Louisiana College had four players in double-figures, led by a game-high 19 points from Brooke Jones.
 
It would be nip and tuck from the start with neither team able to open up a lead of more than two in the opening minutes of the game as three lead changes were seen before a Reed triple allowed LeTourneau to open up a 12-7 lead with 5:59 remaining in the first quarter. The YellowJacket lead would then grow to eight following a bucket by Thorne and a pair of Whitfield free throws with the LETU offense firing on all cylinders. Reed gave LeTourneau their largest lead of the game at 19-8 with her second triple of the game, but it would be all that LETU would be able to muster as the Wildcats would hold the YellowJackets scoreless in the final 3:15 of the period to pull back within two at 19-17.
 
A Whitfield triple to open up the second quarter gave LETU some more breathing room at 22-17 before the LeTourneau defense cracked down to keep LC off the scoreboard for the opening 3:07 of the quarter. The YellowJackets followed up their defensive stand with a 7-2 run to go up 29-22 with 2:45 remaining in the first half, using the charity stripe to their advantage by hitting nine free throws in the period. Just like the first quarter however, it would be a strong finish by Louisiana College with the Wildcats scoring five of the final six points of the half to cut the LeTourneau lead down to 35-31 at the break after seeing the YellowJackets have one of their best defensive halves of the year.
 
LETU held LC off for the opening five minutes of the second half, clinging onto their single-digit lead before seeing the Wildcats use a three-point play to tie the game at 40-40 with 4:45 remaining in the third quarter. Louisiana College would then take their first lead since the opening minute of the game and score five of the next seven points before Reed knotted the game at 45-45 with a three. Only three more points would be all that would be scored by LETU in the quarter as offensive struggles and the turnover bug would find the YellowJackets which would allow for the Wildcats to open up a 55-48 lead heading to the fourth.
 
Offensive woes continued in the fourth quarter for LETU, as Louisiana College opened up the fourth quarter on an 18-0 run to open up a commanding 73-48 lead. LeTourneau wouldn't give up despite the deficit, responding with an 11-2 run that pulled the YellowJackets within 16 at 75-59, but it would be too little too late as Louisiana College would pull out the 15-point victory.
 
 
Saturday will be a celebratory occasion as LETU will host Belhaven University for senior day at 2 p.m. Seniors Savannah Cummings and Ashley Reed will be honored following the game against the Blazers.