Army Women Edged by Eastern Kentucky, 83-62

WEST POINT – Army West Point women’s basketball (2-8, 0-0 PL) fell by a score of 83-62 to Eastern Kentucky (5-6, 0-0 ASUN) on Sunday afternoon at Christl Arena. Sabria Hunter notched her sixth double-double of the season, leading Army with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

The contest concluded the non-conference schedule for the Black Knights, who will shift focus to the Patriot League after Christmas.

Eastern Kentucky got out to an early 9-2 lead in the first quarter, as the Colonels connected on 11 of 13 shots from the field in the opening quarter, led by Antwainette Walker (6-6). Reese Ericson kept the Black Knights within striking distance, with seven points on 3-6 shooting in the opening ten minutes. A basket from Sabria Hunter in the closing seconds made it a 26-17 deficit for Army after one.

Army came out strong in the second quarter, tying the score at 26 behind a quick 9-0 run. Hunter got it started with a layup before back to back baskets from Sam McNaughton, including a three-pointer drew Army closer. Hunter capped the run with another bucket after collecting an offensive rebound. However, the Colonels would respond with a major run of their own, eventually ending the half on an 18-1 spurt. Army trailed 48-32 at the break after shooting 0-7 with four turnovers across the final 5:30 of the half.

Sabria Hunter dominated coming out of the half to keep Army alive in the contest, with nine points and six rebounds in the third quarter alone. After Eastern Kentucky got out to a 59-38 lead with 4:25 to play in the quarter, Army used a 10-0 run to make it an 11-point game. Lauren Lithgow and McNaughton drained looks from downtown as part of the run, while Hunter added a pair of buckets as Army fought back heading into the fourth.

The deficit was too great to overcome in the end as the Colonels opened the final quarter connecting on their first four looks from the field. A three-ball from Alice Recanati with 6:57 to play made it a 72-53 advantage for the road team, with the final ending up being 82-63.

The loss gave Army its second defeat on its home floor this season, with 12 days to regroup before returning to action for conference play.

Army will open the Patriot League campaign on the road, matching up with Lehigh on December 30th at 2:00 p.m.