“We played hard and smart down the stretch,” said head coach Terrance Slater. “This was a major step for us. We had a lot of people step up today and never gave up. We fought and grew as a team with this win.”
The Thorobrettes (3-10, 3-3) brought themselves to the .500 mark against SIAC opponents with the win and snapped a four-game losing streak in the process. The Lady Tigers (3-11, 3-3) have lost six of their last seven games and will travel to Central State University on Monday.
KSU struggled to find a grove through the majority of the afternoon, only shooting 24 percent from the floor in the first half and just 35 percent for the game, but once they took the lead with a little over eight minutes to play in the fourth quarter, they didn’t look back.
Downing drove the lane for a jumper in the paint to put KSU up 45-44 for the first time on the day. The Washington D.C. native scored eight of her team-leading 11 points in the quarter as the Thorobrettes took down their east division visitor.
Freshman forward Erica Jones played a significant role in the win as she pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds along with nine points, finishing just a point shy of her second career-career double-double.
Freshman guard Khaliah Herbert played a valuable 27 minutes off the bench for eight points and six rebounds, including a big three in the fourth quarter, following Downing’s go-ahead bucket.
KSU will now welcome in Claflin University for a Monday matchup on New Year’s Day. The tip is set for 5:30 pm ET at the Exum Center.
by Eric Mathews
