Birmingham, Ala.--The No. 1 seed Lady Wildcats of Albany State eliminated the defending champions and third-seeded Lady Panthers of Clark Atlanta University with a 70-58 win in the semi-final round of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) today at the Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham, Ala.
CAU (19-8) held a 29-25 lead at the half behind seniors Conisha Hicks and Jomanda Smalls who contributed nine each in the period. The Lady Panthers led by as many as six points in the first period as Albany State shot 29.4 percent from the field.
To open the second half, Clark Atlanta jumped to a seven point lead (38-31) its highest of the game before the Lady Golden Rams went on a 14-2 run to capture their first lead since early in the first period. The Lady Panthers struggled from the field with nine baskets in the period as Albany State (20-5) capitalized and opened a 13-point advantage and never relinquished the lead down the stretch.
Second half shooting was a huge difference as the Lady Golden Rams shot 55 percent from the field and 70 from the free throw line. Clark Atlanta struggled slightly in the period with 33 percent shooting and 22 percent from the three-point line.
Four Lady Golden Rams scored in double-digits led by Mecca Frost who finished with a team-high 13 points followed by Keidra Green (12), Kourtney Alexander (11) and Artisha Holston (10). Hicks and Smalls carried Clark Atlanta with 23 and 17 points, respectively. Both players averaged double-digits in the tournament and Smalls recorded her second double-double with 11 boards in this contest.
