JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - After a tight game throughout, the Lady Wildcats fell to the Jacksonville Dolphins, 64-51, on Thursday night at Swisher Gymnasium.
Jacksonville's Sherranda Reddick set off the scoring just 20 seconds into the contest with a three, but the Lady Wildcats were quick to respond, first on a Terrenisha Hollis pull-up jumper and a pair from the charity stripe for Hollis, setting the status quo for the evening.
The Dolphins pushed out a run to go up 14-7, but the Lady Wildcats dropped three consecutive perimeter shots and the deficit dwindled to just a single point, where the game would stay at a single possession for the final 10 minutes of the opening period. Kayla Crawford dropped in a layup with eight seconds remaining to knot the score at 34-34 into the half.
The game would remain at a single possession through eight more minutes into the second half. As the clock dwindled, Jacksonville began to press every possession and the Lady Wildcats forced the offense. Leading by just three, the Dolphins outscored the Lady Wildcats 12-2 over the final five minutes, coming away with the 64-51 victory.
“The way [Cooper] has been playing, every team has keyed on her,” Head Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis said. “In the second half, they didn't let her breathe, and we just didn't get anyone else to step up.”
There were 10 lead changes and eight (8) total ties in the contest.
Kendra Cooper led the Lady Wildcats with 16 points on the night, hitting four (4) threes, while also logging three (3) assists. Crawford and Hollis each scored eight (8) points. Kailyn Williams tallied seven (7) points with six (6) rebounds and four (4) blocks. Her career block count moves to 109, tying her with Sarah Bolden for the second most blocks in school history.
The Lady Wildcats fall to 0-4 on the season and continue their extended road trip into the weekend, traveling to Greenville, N.C. to face East Carolina on Sunday at 2 p.m.
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