JACKSON, Miss. – The William Carey Women's Basketball Team and Tougaloo College battled till the final whistle with the Lady Crusaders prevailing 71-68 Monday night.
 
"This was a hard-fought game," said Head Coach Tracy English. "Tougaloo was well prepared and got after us in the first half. I thought we played the best half of the year in the second half. We were glad to get the "W!"
 
The Lady Crusaders started the game on a 6-0 run only to see the Bulldogs answer with an 8-0 run to take the lead after five minutes of play. After trading baskets, the Carey offense went cold with under three minutes remaining, which allowed Tougaloo to take a 19-12 lead.
 
The second quarter saw both teams go back and forth at the start. However, over a four-minute span, the Bulldogs offense found their stride, building a 32-19 lead with three minutes remaining. The Lady Crusaders settled back in, managing to cut the deficit to 32-27 on Jenna Garriga three pointer, but a basket by Tougaloo at the close of the quarter made it a seven-point lead at the break.
 
The third started just like second with both teams trading shots. With Tougaloo leading 37-29, it was the Lady Crusader offense that found their stride, battling back to tie the game at 39 on a Leah Sutton jumper with just over five minutes remaining. The final minutes of the quarter saw both teams take turns with the lead with WCU taking a 48-47 lead into the fourth.
 
The Bulldogs opened the fourth making one of two free throws to tie the game. However, that would be the last time the game was tied, as Carey responded with an 8-0 run with six of those coming from Madelyn Ladner.
 
Tougaloo kept on battling, and with just over six minutes remaining, cut the deficit to just three points at 58-55. Carey again had the answer, scoring five straight points on a jumper by Shaneal Corpuz and a three pointer by Rose Warren. From there both teams continued to trade shots but with thirty seconds left to play and WCU leading 69-66, Ladner sealed the victory, forcing a turnover and then went the length of the court for the wide-open layup.
 
"We knew we had to step it up in the second half, and that's exactly what we did," said Ladner. "We came out with more intensity, tightened up on defense, and started making shots. Once we got rolling, we never looked back. It was a great, tough win."
 
Shaneal Corpuz led the way offensively finishing with 24 points with Rose Warren adding 13 points. Kolten Blakeney finished with ten points and eleven rebounds while Madelyn Ladner finished with eleven points.
 
Carey is back in action Saturday, February 8, as they take on UT-Southern. Play is set to begin at 12:00 pm at Clinton Gym.