Lady Bears lose a heartbreaker to Hinds in double overtime

Tuesday, January 7, 2025: Women's Basketball 

Utica, MS

The Baton Rouge Lady Bears traveled to Utica, Mississippi, this evening to face the Hinds Lady Bulldogs. These two teams previously met on November 5 in Baton Rouge, where the Lady Bears secured an 82-80 double-overtime victory. Tonight, the battle extended to double overtime once again, but this time the Hinds Lady Bulldogs emerged victorious with a final score of 84-79.

In the first quarter, the Lady Bears came out strong on both ends of the court, quickly establishing a 10-4 lead with 3:40 remaining. Hinds struggled offensively due to the Lady Bears' aggressive defense. However, the Bulldogs found some success late in the quarter, executing a 9-4 run, but still trailed 16-14 at its conclusion.

The second quarter saw a scoring drought for both teams until 5:15 when Shelcie LeBlanc hit a floater in the lane, breaking the scoreless stretch for the Lady Bears. They went on to score the first eight points of the quarter, extending their lead to ten points at 24-14 with 3:48 left. The Lady Bears outscored the Bulldogs 14-9 during the quarter, taking a 30-23 lead into halftime.

After halftime, the Lady Bulldogs came out more aggressively. They opened the quarter with a 7-2 run, closing in on the Lady Bears to pull within two points at 32-30 with 7:51 remaining. The Lady Bears struggled, managing only 13 points in the quarter. The Bulldogs capitalized on this, outscoring Baton Rouge 21-13, and taking a narrow 44-43 lead by the end of the third quarter, highlighted by a buzzer-beater layup.

The fourth quarter was a seesaw battle, with both teams trading baskets and leads, each unable to stretch their advantage beyond three points. The Bulldogs converted 3 of 4 free throws late in the game for a 62-59 lead with 13.1 seconds left. Freshman Guard Kinsley James stepped up for the Lady Bears, scoring 16 of her game-high 34 points in the fourth quarter. Her biggest shot was a corner three-pointer with 6.2 seconds remaining, tying the game at 62 and forcing overtime.

In the first overtime period, the Lady Bears initiated a mini 7-1 run, leading 69-63 with 1:55 left. The Bulldogs fought back, closing the gap to 72-70 with 47 seconds remaining. Despite the Lady Bears' efforts, the Bulldogs managed to tie the game at 72 with 32.7 seconds left, pushing the game into a second overtime period.

During the second overtime, both teams continued to trade baskets and leads. With 3:33 remaining, the score was tied at 76. The Lady Bulldogs ultimately outscored the Lady Bears 8-3 in the final minutes, sealing their victory at 84-79.

Kinsley James led the Lady Bears with a game-high 34 points, while Shelcie LeBlanc contributed 20 points, and Akiyah Carnes added 8 points. With this loss, the Lady Bears' record fell to 5-5, whereas the Lady Bulldogs improved to 10-4. Despite the loss, Baton Rouge still leads the all-time series against Hinds with 8 wins to 4 losses.

Lady Bears Highlights:

Kinsley James led the Lady Bears with a game high 34 points.

Shelcie LeBlanc added 20 points with 10 assist.

Akiyah Carnes scored 8 points with 6 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.

J'nyria Kelly had 7 points and 14 rebounds.

The Lady Bears will continue their mini road trip with a game against the Copiah Lincoln Lady Wolves on Thursday, January 9, 2025, in Wesson, Mississippi.

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