SE Bluegrass News

Colonels Extend Winning Streak To Five With 80-69 Victory Over Stetson

EKU picked up its fifth consecutive win and seventh straight victory at home as the Colonels beat Stetson 80-69 on Thursday night in Baptist Health Arena.

EKU has now won five consecutive games in back-to-back seasons after not having a winning streak of longer than four games since the 2013-14 campaign. The Colonels' seven-game streak at home is the longest since EKU won seven in a row on its home floor to end the 2012-13 season. Dating back to last season, EKU has won nine of its last 10 games in Richmond.

The Colonels (9-6, 2-0 ASUN) opened the night hot as Antwainette Walker's jumper from the free throw line gave EKU a lead it would not relinquish for the rest of the night and kicked off a 10-0 run that made the score 11-2 at the 6:21 mark of the first quarter. Stetson (7-8, 1-1 ASUN) answered with six consecutive points to pull within three with 4:19 left in the first, but EKU held the Hatters to just one made field goal the rest of the quarter and built a 20-10 lead entering the second period.

Stetson closed the gap to six points midway through the second quarter, but EKU closed the half on a 10-2 run. Marissa Mackins bookended the quarter with a pair of threes, giving the Colonels their first and last field goals of the quarter from long range as EKU took a 38-24 lead into the locker room.

EKU came out firing in the third quarter, hitting five of its 12 three-point attempts. Danielle Rainey and Kalissa Lacy each hit a pair of treys and the Colonels led by 19 after Lacy's three with 37 seconds remaining in the period. EKU outrebounded the Hatters 14-7 in the third, including a 5-1 advantage on the offensive glass, and took a 59-43 lead into the fourth quarter.

Leading by 14 with 5:30 left to play, the Colonels put the game away as a Walker layup sparked an 11-2 EKU run that made the score 80-57 with 2:56 remaining. Stetson scored the final 12 points of the game as the Colonels improved to 2-0 in the ASUN for the second consecutive season.

Walker flirted with a triple-double, finishing with a game-high 21 points and adding eight rebounds and seven assists. Mackins netted 13 points, while Rainey and Emma Hacker each posted 10 points. Ariel Kirkwood tallied nine points and a game-high nine rebounds. Alice Recanati scored eight points and finished with eight assists.

The Colonels went 30-of-65 (46.2 percent) from the floor and shot 8-of-24 (33.3 percent) from long range. EKU was also 12-of-15 (80.0 percent) from the free-throw line and held a 38-32 rebounding advantage.  

EKU will put its unbeaten conference record on the line Saturday as the Colonels make their first ASUN road trip of the season to face Central Arkansas. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ET. 

Original source can be found here.