ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University women's basketball team scored the first 12 points of the game and never looked back in a 77-64 win over Notre Dame Saturday afternoon in a Mountain East Conference game at the Carter Center.
Junior guard
Maddie Ratcliff led the early charge as she scored five of the 12 points. The early onslaught continued for the Mountain Lions (2-5, 1-3 MEC) as graduate guard
Maggie Guynn completed a three-point play with 1:25 left in the first quarter to push Concord ahead 24-8.
CU maintained a double-digit lead for the entirety of the second quarter as the advantage eventually grew to 20 points, 41-21, after a three-pointer by freshman guard
Hannah Perdue at the 1:52 mark of the first half.
Notre Dame (2-6, 1-3 MEC) stayed within shouting distance of CU in the third quarter as it worked the deficit down to 11 points three different times. However, the Mountain Lions had an answer each instance.
Leading 55-43 with 1:26 remaining in the third quarter, Concord finished the period on a 7-2 spurt to take a 62-45 edge to the fourth—the same 17-point lead it had at halftime, 41-24.
Concord held a lead of at least 12 points throughout the remainder of the game.
The Mountain Lions used a balanced scoring attacked with five players finishing in double figures.
Paced by 11 points in the first quarter, Ratcliff scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Junior guard
Nakaila Gray was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field as part of her 12 points. Freshman forward
Abbie Smith added a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Senior guard
Jazz Blankenship and Guynn each tallied 10 points.
Concord had a lopsided advantage in rebounding as it pulled down 48 boards to NDC's 25. CU had 16 offensive rebounds that led to 19 second-chance points. Senior forward
Lauryn Avery, graduate forward
Alexis Phillips and Smith each collected 10 rebounds. The trio combined for 13 offensive boards.
CU shot 46.8 percent from the floor in scoring a season high in points.
The Mountain Lions welcome Fairmont State to the Carter Center 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
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