APPLETON, Wis. — After trailing by as many as 25 points in the second quarter, the Carthage women's basketball team came back to pick up a 74-71 win at Lawrence on Saturday in their season opener.
The Firebirds (1-0) fell behind early, trailing by double-digits at the end of the first quarter as the Vikings (0-1) held a 23-10 advantage after 10 minutes of play. Midway through the second period, the home team took a 38-13 lead on Carthage, before the Firebirds took a 30-second timeout with just over four minutes remaining in the half. In the final minutes of the second quarter, Carthage went on a 13-2 run, setting the halftime score at 42-28.
In the third frame, the Firebirds outscored Lawrence 21-11, as a layup midway through the quarter by Lauren Knight cut the deficit within 10 points. A three-pointer from Knight, followed by a steal by Destiny Antoine and fast-break layup from Knight to close out the third made it a four-point game, as Lawrence's lead was cut to 53-49.
Back-to-back threes from Knight and Addison Ebeling set the board at 58-55 in favor of the home team, as the Firebirds inched closer. With just over two minutes remaining in the game, Emma Thistle hit her first three-pointer of her collegiate career to give Carthage their first lead of the game. After Lawrence drew the score even at 63 on a pair of free throws, Thistle struck again from deep, before the freshman closed out the game hitting six-straight free throws in the final 30 seconds to secure the comeback-victory for the Firebirds.
Carthage will return to Tarble Arena for their home opener next Tuesday, November 9, as they host the University of Chicago for a 7 p.m. game.
"I haven't seen many games play out the way today's did, down 25 in the second quarter. To say we didn't get off to a good start would be an understatement. Give the kids credit for stepping up defensively and making a run in the last four minutes of the second quarter to give ourselves a chance. We had a nice start in the second half and had a number of kids knock down some big shots. Emma knocked down some big threes and free throws along with Lo. Everyone had a hand in the comeback. I'm really pleased we persevered through a tough start and found a way to win. Give Lawrence credit, they came out and knocked down shots."
Quick Facts
- This was the sixth matchup all-time between Carthage and Lawrence, with the Firebirds now owning a 5-1 lead in the series.
- Carthage shot 90% from the free throw line today (18-20), highlighted by an 8-8 performance at the charity stripe by freshman Emma Thistle.
- Lauren Knight led the way offensively with 21 points, tying her career-best from last spring.
- Five Firebirds scored double-digit points today: Knight (21), Thistle (14), Bridget Barrett (12), Addison Ebeling (11), and Ayanna Ester (10).
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