Banner Elk, NC – The Erskine women’s basketball team lost to Lees-McRae College 81-64 in Banner Elk, North Carolina, in Conference Carolinas women’s basketball action.  Erskine slips to 8-11 overall and 6-7 in conference.  Lees-McRae snapped a five-game losing streak to improve to 4-14 overall and 4-9 in conference.

The Fleet started poorly turning the ball over on five of their first six possessions giving Lees-McRae a 10-3 lead in the first five minutes of play.  The Fleet bounced back to close within two points on five occasions but could draw no closer.   Over the last five minutes, Lees-McRae extended their lead to double-digits and took a ten point lead at 44-34 into the half.

Despite turning the ball over on three of their first four possessions to begin the second half, the Fleet opened the half with a 7-0 run to trim the Bobcat lead to three points at 44-41.  Senior Jean Marie Harris (Lancaster, SC, Indian Land High School) nailed a 3-pointer and junior Porsha Morgan (Columbus, GA, LaGrange Academy) hit a jump shot along with two free throws to ignite the Fleet run.  Lees-McRae responded with a 9-2 run to extend their lead back to double-digits, which they maintained for the remainder of the game.  Lees-McRae stretched their lead to as many as twenty points late in the half and won the game 81-64.

Morgan and Harris led the Fleet with 19 and 18 points respectively.   Senior Neci Allen added 10 points.  Jana Dixon and Lauren Stewart shared team-high rebounding honors with 7 each.

Kasey Haynes paced the Bobcats with 19 points while Icey Patterson and Janina Thurau contributed 16 points each.  Thurau also grabbed a game-high 9 rebounds.

The Bobcats shot 52.3% for the game while Fleet managed to shoot just 33.9%, including a dismal 6 of 25 (24%) from three-point range.

Erskine had won three of their last four games.

Erskine returns home for a four-game home-stand starting this Saturday when the Fleet host the Trojans of Mt. Olive College.  Game time is set for 2:00 p.m.   

Box Score