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12.27.07
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The
battle went back and forth, but it was the Foresters (8-4) who
eventually won the war upsetting the NAIA Division II 13th-ranked
Cardinals of William Jewell College 58-52 in the opening round of
the St. Xavier University Christmas Tournament. The contest, which
included 11 ties and 11 lead changes, was finally put away in the
final minute by HU who hit 5 of 7 charity tosses down the stretch to
seal the win.
After a
long Christmas break, both teams struggled early at the offensive
end, playing to a 12-12 tie midway through the first half. William
Jewell was the first to gain some breathing room with a 9-2 run
giving the Cardinals a 21-14 lead with 7:41 to go in the half. The
Foresters fought back with eight unanswered points to go up 22-21
with 3:33 to go in the half and then finished the period with an 8-1
run to take a 32-25 lead at intermission.
A
sluggish start to the second half for HU allowed the Cardinals to
regain the momentum and a 35-33 lead three and a half minutes into
the period. From there, the score seesawed back and forth with
neither team able to build more than a four point advantage. Two
Courtney Beerbower free throws at the 3:46 mark knotted the score
for the eleventh time at 50. HU’s Kendra Stahl then gave the
Foresters a 53-50 lead on a jumper and a free throw with 2:45 to
play. The score remained the same until William Jewell began to
foul with 48 seconds left. Beerbower and Jenna Donaldson each hit
two free throws and Stahl added another to pull off the upset.
Beerbower and Stahl each finished with 13 points to lead HU and
Beerbower added a team-high nine boards. Lauren Davenport chipped
in 10 points for the Foresters. William Jewell’s Hilary Adams took
top scoring honors in the game with 15 points. Erica Ferguson added
a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
With
the win, the Foresters will now face the host St. Xavier Cougars,
who were ranked #8 in the most recent NAIA Division I polls. The
game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. CST start.
Box Score
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