Belmont, NC – Erskine’s Elizabeth Tatum earned her first “double-double” of the season in a 76 to 61 losing effort to Belmont-Abbey College tonight in Conference Carolinas women’s basketball action at the Wheeler Center.  Tatum (Glennville, GA, Pinewood Christian Academy) scored a game-high 18 points while grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds.   Erskine drops to 2-7 overall and 1-3 in conference whereas Belmont-Abbey improves to 3-7 overall and 2-2 in conference action.

The Crusaders sprinted out to a 7 point lead in the first five minutes of the game on a 3-point basket and two free throws by Candace Fox.   The Fleet gradually cut into Belmont-Abbey until finally taking the lead at 15-14 on a layup by senior Jean Marie Harris (Lancaster, SC, Indian Land High School) with eight minutes remaining in the half.  The half ended with Belmont-Abbey clinging to a slim 31 to 29 lead.

The game remained close through the first portion of the second half.  Erskine tied the game at 36-36 on a layup by sophomore Lauren Stewart (Hartwell, GA, Hart County High School) after a Harris steal.  At that point, the Crusaders caught fire pushing out to a 12 point advantage on a 17-5 run.  The Fleet pulled back to within 7 points on a layup by Tatum but the Crusaders closed out the game on a 12-4 run to take win the game 76-61. 

Belmont-Abbey shot 49% from the floor, including 53% in the second half.  Erskine shot 36% on the night but shot dismal 3 for 21 (14.3%) from 3-point range.  Belmont-Abbey won the battle on the boards 44-35.

In addition to Tatum’s 18 points and 14 rebounds, Jean Marie Harris scored a season-high 13 points and Lauren Stewart snagged 9 rebounds. 

Belmont-Abbey had four players reach double-figures in scoring.   Shayla Jackson and Candace Fox each scored 16 points while Jackson pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds to earn a “double-double.”  Autumn Smith-Faulkner and Paula Regalado came off the bench to score 15 and 14 points respectively for the Crusaders.

The Fleet host the Bulldogs of Barton College on Saturday.  Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.

Box Score