Box Score COLUMBIA, Ky. -- It was better late than never for Michelle Copley as she scored all five of her points in the final three minutes to push the 15th ranked Lindsey Wilson College women's basketball team past Shawnee State (Ohio) University 68-61 on Thursday at Biggers Sports Center.
The Bears had taken the lead for just the second time in the game at 54-53 with 4:33 to play before senior Viktoria Krell and sophomore Ashley Rainey made back-to-back baskets, followed by a Copley three that put the Blue Raiders ahead for good.
Senior Bethany Spillman led the Blue Raiders in scoring with 17 points, while Krell added 14 and senior Diondra Anthony added 13. Rainey chipped in a double-double of 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
With her eighth point of the night, Krell also became just the second player in Lindsey Wilson women's basketball history to top 2,000 points in a career. The senior was honored with a game ball during the men's game that followed.
Shawnee State was led by Abby Ballman with 14 points and 11 assists, while Keilee Guthrie added 12 points and Tabitha McKinney scored 11 points with six rebounds.
Lindsey Wilson led by as many as 10 points in the first half and 16 in the second, but still allowed the Bears to claw back and take a brief two-point lead in the second half.
A 12-point lead was quickly erased as Ballman knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and a layup in a five-minute span that saw Shawnee State take control of the game. Luckily Copley came alive in the game's clutch moments to give Lindsey Wilson some redemption for a 72-69 loss earlier in the season on Jan. 13.
The Blue Raiders put together a solid night shooting the ball, coming in at 46.9 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from behind the arc. Hitting 17-of-18 free throw for 94.4 percent also helped in grinding out the win. Lindsey Wilson hit all 14 of its free-throw attempts in the second half.
Shawnee State shot just 25 percent on 3-pointers, including a 1-for-13 showing in the first half. The Bears were also outrebounded 36-30 and turned the ball over 21 times.
Lindsey Wilson improves to 20-6 overall and 11-4 in the Mid-South Conference, while the Bears drop to 19-8 overall and 10-5 in the MSC.
The Blue Raiders return to action at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday, Feb. 19 against Georgetown (Ky.) College as they look to sweep the season series with the Tigers at Biggers Sports Center.
Box Score
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Michelle Copley Interview
