Transfer junior guard Lyndsey Downing made an immediate impact as she hit the game-winning jumper with 3.6 seconds left to play to propel Kentucky State University past NCAA Division I, Ohio Valley Conference member Tennessee State University in an exhibition at the Gentry Center on Friday night.
“This was a huge win for our program,” said head coach Terrance Slater. “We played together, and we never gave up even when we made mistakes. I love that fight, and we will build off of that as we head into the regular season.”
The exhibition victory marked the first time in program history KSU defeated an NCAA Division I member. In the 1996-97 season, under head coach Antonio Davis, the Thorobrettes knocked off IUPUI 57-47 in a regular season matchup, the year before the Lady Jaguars became an official member of NCAA Division I in 1997.
A strong second half performance paved the way for KSU to notch the win, as the Thorobrettes trailed 43-30 at the half. The third quarter proved to be the difference maker as the green and gold outscored the home squad 30-13 to take a 60-56 lead heading into the final frame.
KSU led by as much as five in the fourth quarter at 81-76 with 1:07 to play. TSU responded with a 7-1 run to go back on top 83-82 after a made three-point bask by Kaliya Griffin with eight seconds left to go. On the following play, Downing broke loose to hit the mid-range jumper to put the Thorrobettes back up for good, as TSU missed a three-point attempt with time expiring.
Downing finished her night with 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting along with a team-high five assists. Senior guard Brittani Rizzi led the Thorobrettes with 15 points as she hit 5-of-6 from the charity stripe and 2-of-5 from beyond the arch.
Senior forward Alyssa Brown returned to action for the first time in over a year due to injury to put up 13 points and pulled down four boards.
The regular season will begin on Friday, Nov. 10 when the Thorobrettes open up at the University of North Alabama at 4 pm ET.
by Eric Mathews
