HICKORY, N.C. - Despite a dominant night on the glass and double-doubles from
Serenity Echols and
Trinity Thomas, the Lander women's basketball team fell 72-59 to Carson-Newman on Saturday in its season opener at the SAC/PBC Challenge hosted by Lenoir-Rhyne.
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Thomas tallied 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Echols added 12 points and 10 boards as the Bearcats controlled long stretches in the paint and held a 54-49 advantage on the glass.
Quadaija Langley led Lander with 16 points, knocking down a pair of threes.
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Lander kept the game tight early, but Carson-Newman used hot perimeter shooting to swing the momentum. The Eagles hit three 6-pointers in the first two quarters and carried a 42-29 lead into halftime. Caroline Hill and Jennifer Sullivan combined for 34 points, pacing an offense that finished 8-for-32 from beyond the arc but capitalized in timely stretches.
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The Bearcats responded after the half with a 17-point third quarter—one of their strongest periods—with Langley and Echols sparking a surge that briefly cut the deficit to single digits. However, the Eagles answered with efficient free-throw shooting in the fourth, going 8-for-9 to close out the contest.
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Lander's effort on the boards helped keep the game within reach, generating 17 second-chance points. However, shooting struggles, with 30.7 percent from the field and 4-for-17 from three, limited the Bearcats' ability to sustain scoring runs. Lander wraps up the SAC/PBC Challenge on Sunday at 4 p.m. against host Lenoir-Rhyne in Shuford Memorial Arena.
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Lander wraps up play in the SAC/PBC Challenge, facing off with host Lenoir-Rhyne at 4 p.m. at the Shuford Arena.Â
