Box Score Terre Haute, Indiana – On Saturday the Mount St. Joseph University women's basketball team travelled to take on Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opponent Fightin' Engineers of Rose Hulman Institute of Technology. The Lions entered the contest with an overall record of 5-13 and a HCAC record of 4-7, while the Fightin' Engineers hosted with an overall record of 4-14 and a HCAC record of 3-8.
The Lions and Fightin' Engineers met earlier in the season when the Lions were the host back in January. During this match-up the Lions defeated the Fightin' Engineers by a margin of 18 points as the final score read 47-29.
Saturday's game was the beginning mark of the final month of regular season play. The first quarter got underway quickly with both teams making a jump shot. The Fighitn' Engineers would immediately follow with a three to take a 5-3 lead over the Lions. Two minutes would pass before Mackenzie Marcum (Mason, Ohio/Kings) made a three to tie the game up. The Fightin' Engineers would take back the lead right after Marcum's three with a basket, but Maddie Haberthy (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) wouldn't let it last long as she made her first three of the game and the Lions took their first lead of the game with the scoreboard reading 8-7 with 5:27 remaining in the quarter. The lead didn't last long as the Fightin' Engineers made back to back baskets. After a timeout from the Lions at the 3:36 mark, the Lions would go on a run, scoring eight unanswered points over their opponent. Mackenzie Marcum got it started off with her second three of the day, followed by a free throw from Chloe Jansen (Fort Thomas, Ky./Highlands) and back to back baskets from Carlee Daulton (Ripley, Ohio/Ripley Union Lewis Huntington), giving the Lions a 16-11 lead with :35 seconds remaining in the quarter. The Fightin' Engineers closed the quarter out with a buzzer beating layup.
Entering the second quarter the Lions led 16-13. The score would get cut to one with a layup by the Fightin' Engineers to start out the quarter. Chloe Jansen followed with a layup of her own for the Lions. A three followed by a layup from Maddie Haberthy gave the Lions a 23-15 lead with 7:47 left in the quarter. In between the 5:34 and the 4:41 minute mark, the Fightin' Engineers would cut the Lions lead down to two with six unanswered points. In the final minutes of the quarter, both teams would go back and forth between making baskets, but the Lions were able to hold onto their lead. With three seconds remaining in the half, Maggie Schoolfield (Cincinnati, Ohio/McNicholas) made a three to send the Lions into halftime with a 32-26 lead.
Aliyah Huff (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) got the third quarter started with a basket before the Fightin' Engineers would make one of their own. Another set of back to back baskets, this time from Maddie Haberthy, continued to build the Lions lead. At the 7:41 marl, the Lions led by 10, 38-28. Three's would get fired off over the next three minutes. The Fightin' Engineers began with a three pointer at 6:34, Haley Scott (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) answered for the Lions with a three, but then the Fightin Engineers would go on to make back to back threes. At 4:14 Maddie Haberthy added onto the threes with one of her own before Haley Scott would make another at 3:22. At this point, the Lions still had a hold of their 10-point lead as the score read 47-37. The three's kept coming for the Lions as Mackenzie Marcum added to her scoring total with 2:21 left in the quarter. The third quarter ended with the Fightin' Engineers making a basket with :39 seconds left, leaving enough time for Maddie Haberthy to dribble it down the court to make a three and earn herself a free throw. At the end of the third quarter the Lions led 56-46 over the Fightin' Engineers.
With the fourth and final quarter underway, Maddie Haberthy opened things up with an early basket. The Lions continued to keep control of the game, as every time the Fightin' Engineers made a basket, the Lions would answer with one of their own. At 7:26 the Lions led 66-53, after Carlee Daulton added another basket to the Lions total. Scoring would slow down a bit for both teams in the middle of the quarter. After a Lions timeout, both teams got back into offense, starting with the Lions as Aliyah Huff made a jump shot with 3:48 left to take a 70-55-point lead. Two free throws and a three brought the Fightin' Engineers back in the game, but the Lions would keep the pace to stay ahead. Four free throws for the Lions got them up to 76 points while the Fightin Engineers held onto their 60 points. Both teams' final basket came in the last five seconds of the game, with the Fightin' Engineers making a layup, and the Lions Maddie Haberthy securing the win with a free throw. The Lions defeated the Fighitn' Engineers by a final score of 77-62.
The Lions were hot on the floor Saturday, shooting 62.5% from the free throw line, 52.8% from field goal range, and 50% from the three-point line. Junior Maddie Haberthy continues to be an offensive threat as of late. Haberthy tied her career high single game scoring total with 30 points in Saturday, as well as six assists and two steals. Off the bench, Carlee Daulton made a big impact on the Lions offense, recording 11 points, her career high, with four rebounds and two steals. Chloe Jansen took charge of the Lions defense for the day, having 10 of her 11 rebounds come from the defensive side, as well as two steals. Jansen had her part on the Lions offense with six assists and seven points.
After Saturday's game the Lions still hold onto their 6th place spot in the HCAC standings. With six games left, the Lions look to keep adding win's to their record with hopes of making it into the HCAC basketball tournament. Maddie Haberthy kept ahold of her #1 spot atop the HCAC points per game leader board with 17.8. Trailing her is Ashton Woodard of Transylvania University with 17.1.
The Lions will be back in action on Wednesday as they travel north to take on the Beavers of Bluffton University. Tip-off is set for 7:30PM. Continue to checkout MSJSports.com as the Lions begin to close out the 2019-2020 season.
