Concord Loses Heartbreaker to Shepherd in MEC Tournament, 76-74

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A baseline jumper with by Shepherd's Morgan Arden with 0.5 seconds left downed the Concord University women's basketball team in the Mountain East Conference Tournament's opening round at the Charleston Civic Center.

The Mountain Lions end the season at 13-16 while Shepherd improves to 15-14.

Up six with 42.9 seconds left after two foul shots from senior forward Heather Chapman, the Rams had a driving layup to get within 74-70. After a Concord turnover, Shepherd had a four-point trip to tie the game with 25 seconds left.

On CU's ensuing possession, the Mountain Lions committed another turnover to give Shepherd the ball back with 3.5 seconds left. After a timeout, Arden penetrated down the baseline and banked in a 12-foot jumper for the win.

The game featured 10 lead changes and five ties with the Mountain Lions leading the majority of the fourth quarter. CU took a 62-61 lead with 7:38 left after a layup from freshman forward Riley Fitzwater and led for the next 7:37 before Arden's shot.

Concord overcame an early deficit against Shepherd, trailing by as much as nine in the first half. However, the Maroon and Gray was able to tie the game at 35-35 to conclude an 11-2 run. The run was punctuated by a seven-point trip by CU.

Junior guard Emily Boothe made a three-pointer before CU got an extra look at the bucket with a defensive loose ball foul on Shepherd. Senior guard Danielle Catron converted a four-point play after being fouled on her own three-pointer with 2:38 left in the second quarter.

CU took its first lead of the game right before halftime, 38-37, on a Fitzwater layup. Neither team led by more than two possessions for the remainder of the game.

Fitzwater finished the game with 23 points, 19 rebounds and six blocks. Her rebounding and block numbers tied the MEC single-game tournament record.

Catron also finished in double figures with 12 points. Junior guard Andreanna Pool had 11 points while Chapman notched 10 points in the defeat.

Wednesday marked the final game in the careers of Catron, Chapman and senior guard Lindsey Overbey.