OLIVET, Mich. -  The Carthage College Lady Reds dropped to 4-5 on the season, suffering a 58-52 road loss at Olivet College, Sunday, December 20, 2015 at The Cutler Event Center.
 
Morgan Harris registered her third double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Erin Thomas led all Lady Reds scorers and tied for the game-high with 13 points.  Morgan Vukovich joined in double-figures with 12.
 
Shooting struggles and turnovers plagued both teams in the first quarter as the Carthage shot just 25-percent from the field, while Olivet was held to just 14.3-percent from the field with both teams combining for 11 turnovers in the quarter. Vukovich led all scorers in the opening quarter with six of the Lady Reds eight points on 2-of-4 shooting.
 
Things picked up for both teams in the second quarter.  First, for the Lady Reds, the shots began to fall, opening the frame 5-of-7 from the field and building a 12-point lead midway through the second quarter to take a 22-10 advantage.  However the Lady Reds finished just 1-of-5 from the field in the half, allowing Olivet to mount a 14-5 run to close the quarter with Carthage leading 27-24.
 
The third quarter was built on runs, as following the opening basket of the half by Morgan Harris; Olivet used an 8-0 run to take the Comets' first lead of the game at 30-29.  Next, with the Comets leading 32-30, it was the Lady Reds' turn, as Carthage used an 11-0 run to regain a 40-32 lead.  The Comets fought back once again, finishing the third by cutting the Lady Reds lead to just three at 42-39.
 
In the fourth, the Olivet half-court defense held the Carthage to just 2-of-10 shooting from the field and forced the Lady Reds into seven turnovers.  Trailing 51-46, Erin Thomas would draw Carthage to within two with 1:30 remaining in the game on a long three-point field goal.  However, Olivet delivered the dagger on their next possession with a three ball of their own; their first of the game after going 0-for-14 from beyond the arc.
 
As a team, the Lady Reds shot just 32.7-percent from the field, 24-percent from beyond the arc and just 66.7 percent from the free throw strip.   Olivet cleaned up their shooting after the first quarter, shooting 46-percent over the final three periods, and winning the points in the paint battle, 38-18.
 
Following the holiday, Carthage will head to Las Vegas for the D3Hoops.com Classic, in which the Lady Reds will face George Fox University on December 28th and St. Vincent College on December 29th.