CONFERENCE CAROLINAS BASKETBALL WBB SEMI-FINAL RESULT: LIMESTONE DEFEATS KING 73-58
By Randall Stewart—King Sports Information
CONCORD, N.C. – In the first semifinal of the Conference
Carolinas Tournament powered by OrthoCarolina, top-seeded Limestone
College defeated the No. 4 King University Tornado 73-58 in
women’s basketball action behind the efforts of Celestra
Warren, Alicia Brookins, and Jasmine Kearse, who all scored in
double figures for the Saints.
Warren led all scorers with 17 points off the bench on 7-of-12
shooting from the floor and added in six rebounds. Brookins
followed closely behind with 16 points and pulled down a team-high
rebounds, while Kearse poured in 14 points.
The Saints (23-5) never trailed in the game, coming out firing
on all cylinders offensively and appearing to be heading for a rout
early in the contest. A three-point play by Warren gave Limestone a
16-4 lead just 4:57 into the contest and marked the seventh made
field goal in 11 attempts for the Saints.
But the Tornado (17-11) fought their way back into contention,
using a three-point field goal by Jalan Harper to stop the
Saints’ run and got a pair of triples from Bonnie Durrett
moments later to cut the lead to 10. A layup from Kelly Jackson and
three-point basket from Stephanie Brantley pulled King to within
five points, capping an 11-2 Tornado run.
The Tornado would continue to keep Limestone within striking
distance in the first half, closing to within two points with 1:55
remaining in the first 20 minutes. But the Saints would close the
half on a 7-1 run to lead 41-33 at the break and never trailed in
the contest.
Limestone stretched their lead to 10 points early in the second
stanza, but King would again close the lead to one possession, this
time using a 10-3 run keyed by an Alley Sprouse jumper to make the
score 46-43. The Saints responded by scoring 13 of the game’s
next 16 points, however, and kept their cushion in double digits
for much of the remaining nine minutes before pulling away over
their last four possessions to win 73-58.
The Tornado were led by Bonnie Durrett, who scored 10 points and
collected eight rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season.
Stephanie Brantley came within two rebounds of her career high,
finishing with eight boards to go along with her ten points. Jalan
Harper also had a notable performance, with nine points and six
rebounds, while Whitney Mitchell finished with a game-high three
steals.
The Saints lit up the sixth-ranked field-goal percentage defense
in NCAA Division II for 46.4 percent shooting and had 15 assists on
their 32 made baskets. Limestone also forced 16 Tornado turnovers,
including nine via the steal, while committing just six on the
game. Both teams excelled in the lane, with King’s 28 points
in the paint trumped by 38 from Limestone.
Limestone will advance to the finals of the Conference Carolinas
Tournament powered by OrthoCarolina to meet the winner of
Wednesday’s second semifinal game between No. 3 seed
University of Mount Olive and seventh-seeded Barton College.
Thursday’s championship game will tip off at 5:00 p.m. With
the loss, King’s season comes to an end with a 17-11 overall
record.