NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Life U, 49; WCU, 55
Records: Life U, 17-11 (10-6 SSAC); WCU, 22-5 (12-5 SSAC)
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Life University women's basketball team fell to the Lady Crusaders of William Carey late Thursday night in a contest that carried into Friday morning. The Running Eagles and Lady Crusaders were tied at the end of regulation, 42-42, sending the contest to overtime.
It was an extremely solid start for the Running Eagles on both ends of the floor. Life U opened the contest on a 12-2 run before a William Carey timeout took the squads into the first media break. The lead grew to as many as 13 before the Lady Crusaders could respond. By the time the quarter came to a close, Life U led 17-7, having allowed just two buckets from the floor in the quarter.
Life U continued to be excellent on the defensive end of the floor. The Running Eagles held William Carey scoreless for over three minutes in the second, pushing the lead back to double-digits. Though a Kaden McCorvey three pushed the lead to 15, late free throws from WCU closed the gap to just 10, 26-16, heading into the break.
Kenya Robinson led all scorers with eight points in the first while also grabbing eight boards.
Out of the break, Life U maintained the double-digit lead for the majority of the opening minutes. However, WCU found its rhythm, going on a 9-2 run to close the lead down to three. As both teams dropped in buckets, the Lady Crusaders closed the gap to just two, 36-34, heading into the final frame of regulation.
The fourth quarter was a defensive battle as neither team could find an edge. As the scoring slowed, it was the Lady Crusaders to find clutch buckets, tying the contest at 40-40 with just 02:10 on the clock. Robinson put Life U back in front with a big layup at the 00:42 mark. However, WCU responded with a bucket of its own with 00:24 left in regulation. The Running Eagles had a chance to win in regulation but were unable to convert.
In overtime, both teams traded buckets, with the William Carey taking its first lead of the night with just over two minutes left to play. With just under one minute left in the contest, the Lady Crusaders knocked down a pair of free throws to take a three-point lead, 50-47. From there, WCU continued to use opportunities from the charity stripe to hold the narrow lead, finishing the contest with a 55-49 win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
-- Rebounds: Life U – 38, WCU – 34
-- Steals: Life U – 11, WCU – 12
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
-- Kenya Robinson: 14 points, 12 rebounds
-- Emily Perez: 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
-- Aniyah Offutt: 10 points, 3 rebounds
UP NEXT:
-- This marks the end to the 2025-26 season.
