Lady Saints fall to 1-1 in conference
STAFF REPORTS

Limestone's Lindsay Kyle scored 15 points in a loss to Belmont Abbey.

The Lady Saints basketball team suffered a 63-57 loss to Belmont Abbey in Conference Carolina action Saturday night.

The Crusaders improve to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in the league, while the Saints drop 2-6, 1-1 in conference play.

Two Saints scored double-digits as Lindsay Kyle and Tierney Burdett each scored a team-high 15 points.

Burdett was 5-of-7 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Kyle shot 5-of-9 from the field and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc and 3-of-4 from the free throw line.

Limestone's Addie Graves and Essence Greer dominated the boards, finishing with 13 and 11 rebounds, respectively.

Ariel Lyons added nine points for the Saints.

Belmont Abbey's Marie Marquez led all scorers with 20 points. Asha Hardaway had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The Lady Saints led by as many as five points in the first half, but after 10 lead changes and eight ties, Limestone headed into the locker room up 24-21.

Limestone hit an impressive 50 percent from beyond the arc. The Crusaders were 5-of-7 from the free throw line, while the Lady Saints made just 5 of 16 free throws.

In the second half, the Lady Saints led by as many as nine points but began to struggle in the last few minutes of the game as Graves fouled out with 3:50 to go. Hardaway would go on to sink both free throws as the Crusaders took the lead at 52-50. A jump shot by Marquez put the Crusaders up by four with just 1:19 remaining in regulation. Kyle picked up her fifth foul of the game with less than a minute to go. Amanda McDonald made both free throws to push the visitors' lead to six.

For the game, Limestone shot 36 percent from the field and only 50 percent from the free throw line. The Crusaders shot 36 percent from the field and 71 percent from the free throw line.

Limestone travels to Brevard, N.C., on Saturday, Dec. 8 for a non-conference game against Brevard College at 3 p.m.