[Women's Basketball] Kentucky Christian's Offense Dominates Women's Basketball on the Road

GRAYSON, Ky. – The St. Andrews women's basketball team struggled against AAC foe Kentucky Christian on Saturday afternoon, falling 86-58 to the KCU Knights.

How It Happened

 Kentucky Christian dominated the first quarter, putting up a 15-point lead on St. Andrews before SAU made their first basket off a Madison Gatewood field goal five minutes into the game.

St. Andrews picked things up in the last few minutes of the first quarter, with Dominique Cooke getting things started with a made basket. Yontyanna Melvin scored back-to-back before Natalee Graham racked up 5 points for SAU with a two-pointer and a deep shot from behind the arc, making the score 13-26 going into the second quarter.

Madison Gatewood was the first to score for the Knights of St. Andrews in the second quarter from a Courtney Rowe assist, trailing 15-31.

Kentucky Christian continued their strong offense, putting up 7 points before St. Andrews scored from a 3-pointer from Natalee Graham, cutting KCU Knights lead to 20 points at 18-38.

A made shot from downtown by Samantha Ring was what she needed to heat up, following it up with a two-pointer and another shot from behind the arc, putting SAU at 26-44.

Going into the half, St. Andrews trailed the KCU Knights, 28-48. The defense of Kentucky Christian was stellar in the first half of the game, collecting 11 steals from the SAU Knights.

Both teams got their first point of the third quarter from a made free throw, making the score 29-49, before KCU hit a successful field goal.

Courtney Rowe answered back with a 3-pointer from the corner off a Samantha Ring assist to help pick up the offense for St. Andrews.

Following a Natalee Graham basket, Rowe turned her two-point layup into 3 points, drawing a foul on a KCU Knight and was successful at the charity stripe.

St. Andrews closed in on Kentucky Christian as the third quarter was winding down, chipping the lead to 14 points.

A fast break from St. Andrews cut the lead down to 12 as Samantha Ring made a pass down to the post to Madison Gatewood for a made basket.

Kentucky Christian did not allow SAU to get closer than 12 points as their offense picked back up and sent the game into the fourth quarter with a 21-point lead with a score of 45-66.

The SAU Knights were held scoreless in the fourth quarter until the 6th minute, when Madison Gatewood put up a basket from the post. Yontyanna Melvin then made a basket down low while drawing a foul against KCU.

Although the St. Andrews offense picked up in the second half of the game, Kentucky Christian did not cool off as they defeated SAU with a final score of 86-58.

Knights Leaders

Leading the Knights was Madison Gatewood with 17 points, going 8 for 10 in field goals while also picking up 2 blocks.

Also scoring double digits against KCU was Natalee Graham with 11 points with 2 3-pointers. Graham led the Knights in rebounds with 8.

Next Up

St. Andrews will return home for their next game, as they host Reinhardt University on December 16th.

About St. Andrews University

St. Andrews University is a branch of Webber International University located in Laurinburg, NC.   The University's mission is to offer students an array of business, liberal arts and sciences, and pre-professional programs of study that create a life transforming educational opportunity which is practical in its application, global in its scope, and multi-disciplinary in its general education core. Students will acquire depth of knowledge and expertise in their chosen field of study, balanced by breadth of knowledge across various disciplines, while pursuing a degree at associate, bachelor, or master level. Special emphasis is placed on enhancing oral and written communication, and critical thinking skills. The international quality of the student body enriches personal experience and promotes understanding of international cultures and influences. Through an atmosphere in which self-discipline, creativity and cultivation of ethical standards are enhanced, the University is dedicated to teaching its students the "how to learn, how to think, and how to apply method" to each new challenge.