By: by Jason Hanes
MACON, Ga. - After a month of hard-fought games coming down to the last possession that KSU found a way to win, today the magic wore out.
In a game that featured 13 ties and 19 lead changes, it was ultimately Belmont that came away with the final lead change and the five-point win, 70-65, over the Lady Owls in the quarterfinals of the 2010 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Conference Championships.
"This was a really hard-fought game," KSU head coach Colby Tilley said. "I really thought that once we forced overtime, we would find a way to win it. Give credit to Belmont for doing what they had to do to get the win, but this one was right there for us and we just couldn't get it."
DeAndrea Bullock, playing in her final game as a Lady Owl, led all KSU players in scoring with 16 points to go with nine rebounds in 41 minutes of action. Sophomore Angie Smith scored 13 points, while A-Sun All-Freshman honoree Brandi Jones scored 10 points while playing with a separated shoulder.
The score was both tied after 20 minutes and after 40 minutes, necessitating the first A-Sun Women's Championship game to go to overtime since March 9, 2006. With KSU trailing in the waning seconds, senior Gia Lockett connected on a 15-foot jumper to tie the score, 63-63. The Bruins had the chance to win, but the shot went askew, with A-Sun All-Freshman honoree Sametria Gideon collecting the rebound to send the game to overtime.
The extra period saw Belmont (15-14) take the lead with 3:20 to go, 64-63, on a free-throw. The period remained low in the scoring column until Smith hit a jumper with 80 seconds left, giving KSU the 65-64 advantage.
That would prove to be the final points of the year for KSU (11-19). Belmont closed the game on a 6-0 run, sparked when Amber Rockwall connected on her second 3-pointer of the contest, giving the Bruins the lead they would not relinquish.
The Lady Owls out-scored Belmont from the field, but the Bruins made a living at the free-throw line, going 22-of-30 compared to just 6-of-9 for the Lady Owls.
Belmont moves on to face the winner of the Campbell/Jacksonville game later this evening. The Lady Owls will continue looking towards the future, bringing back a strong nucleus from this year's squad that earned the No. 5 seed in the A-Sun Championships
