ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University women's basketball team jumped out to a 24-4 lead on Salem and never looked back as it led throughout in an 81-59 win Saturday afternoon in a non-conference game at the Carter Center.
CU (8-4) scored the first 14 points after junior guard
Kiley Smich was good on a three-pointer at the 5:58 mark of the first quarter. The next field goal for Concord was also a three-pointer as freshman forward
Nasiya Smith ballooned the lead to 19-2 at the 4:26 mark. And just over a minute later, freshman guard
Lacee Smith polished off the early offense with her own three-pointer.
Salem (1-9) was unfazed as the Tigers rattled off 14 straight points, spanning the quarters to cut the margin to 24-18 with 8:40 remaining in the first half.
The lead never got above 12 points until CU finished the first half on a 15-6 spurt. Junior guard
Alexis Frazee kickstarted the run with one of her two triples in the game while L. Smith canned her second three-pointer of the opening half in the final minute of the second quarter.
The Mountain Lions took a 47-29 advantage into halftime.
Concord held Salem scoreless for nearly six minutes of the third quarter as the Maroon and Gray started the third by scoring the first 12 points. Two free throws by Smich elevated the margin to 30 points, 59-29, with 5:03 left in the third quarter.
The biggest lead of the game for CU was 33 points, 74-41, after senior forward
Abbie Smith converted two of her 21 points with 6:02 left in the game.
Smith netted a team-best 21 points on 6-for-10 shooting to go with a perfect 9-for-9 effort at the foul line. She added 10 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season. Senior forward
Olivia Ziolkowski tallied 15 point on 6-for-9 shooting.
Sophomore guard
Kenyah Stubbs added 11 points. Â
Concord forced 22 turnovers from the Tigers that it turned into 23 points. Ziolkowski came up with four steals while Frazee came up with three steals.
CU finished 23-for-27 at the foul line (85.2 percent)
The Mountain Lions travel to West Virginia Wesleyan 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in a meeting of two of the top three teams in the Mountain East Conference.
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