Courtesy Hendrix College Athletics Department
CONWAY, Ark. – The Hendrix College women’s basketball team led by one with just under nine minutes left, but could not hang on to the lead, falling to Millsaps College 69-65 on Sunday at Grove Gymnasium.
The Warriors (0-17, 0-6 Southern Athletic Association) took a 53-52 lead on a pair of free throws by junior forward Kaitlin McNeill at the 8:57 mark. The Majors (9-8, 5-1) answered with a free throw by Miah Brooks and back-to-back baskets from Velvet Johnson to go up 57-53 with 7:52 to play.
A three-pointer by Hendrix freshman guard Estrella Flores cut the deficit to 67-65 with 41 seconds on the clock. Brooks sealed the game with a pair of free throws with 15 seconds remaining.
In the first half, Millsaps built a 22-9 lead over the first 10:08 of the game. The Warriors clawed back, outscoring the Majors 24-9 the rest of the period and took a 33-31 lead into halftime.
For the game, Hendrix shot 44 percent (24-of-55) from the field, 5-of-15 from three-point range and 12-of-21 at the free throw line. Millsaps shot 48 percent (28-of-58), 4-of-12 from outside and 9-of-11 at the stripe. The Majors also had a 36-29 rebound advantage.
Junior center Jamie Tate paced the Warriors with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman guard Kriesel-Bigler had 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting, six assists and three steals. Sophomore forward Lindsay Drillette added 11 points and three assists off the bench. McNeill and Flores had nine points each and sophomore guard Kati Broberg had seven points, two assists and three blocks.
Johnson led the Majors with 26 points on 12-of-18 shooting. Victoria Morgan had 11 points, six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals and Brooks finished with seven points and eight rebounds.
Hendrix will go on the road for an SAA match-up at Centre College in Danville, Ky. on Friday.